Most job descriptions still look the same: a company bio, a role summary, tasks, requirements, and, on a good day, pay and benefits.
It’s a clear structure and it works for assistant level roles. But for any role that carries ownership, and no founder wants a team without ownership, this structure leaves out the one thing that matters most: outcomes.
When we hire only with tasks or responsibilities, we unintentionally set the tone for micromanagement. We define the “how” before we’ve even met the person we hope to trust with the role. We position ourselves as the strategists and our team as the doers, skipping the most important part of leadership: defining what success actually looks like.
Outcome based hiring changes that.
It forces clarity.
It attracts candidates who believe they can achieve what is being asked.
It creates space for people to bring their own thinking, their own process, and their own ownership.
It is how you build a team that scales without pulling you back into the details.
This doesn’t mean tasks have to disappear because day to day examples help candidates understand the flow of the role. But they should support the outcomes, not replace them.
The balance looks like this:
• Be honest about the actions the role requires.
• Be even clearer about the results that matter.
• And let the right people show you how they will deliver them.
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BBQ Grill Master
The Big Oxmox advised her not to do so, because there were thousands of bad Commas, wild Question.
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Deep Space
The Big Oxmox advised her not to do so, because there were thousands of bad Commas, wild Question.
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Culture Matters in Hiring But Clarity Comes First
Hiring feels hard. We chase culture fit. We obsess over “value alignment.” And yes, they matter. But if I’m honest, I’d bet that 95% of failed hires come down to one boring thing: bad, or nonexistent, job descriptions especially in small companies.
I’ve seen it in my own businesses, and I’ve seen it when friends ask me why their new hire isn’t working out. If the role itself isn’t clear, no amount of culture magic will fix it.
Over the years, here’s what I’ve learned makes a job description actually work:
1️⃣ Purpose – why the role exists at all
2️⃣ Reporting – who they answer to
3️⃣ Company intro – why someone should be excited to join
4️⃣ Objectives – the real outcomes you expect
5️⃣ Day-to-day duties – what they’ll actually be doingIt sounds simple, but most job descriptions I see are either vague (“we just need a VA”) or contradictory (“do our marketing and fix IT”). No wonder the hires don’t stick.
So before you go looking for “the perfect cultural fit,” ask yourself: would a smart, motivated person even know how to succeed in this role? That clarity is where good hiring really starts.
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