Does Time Expose the Wrong Employee? Always.
Good afternoon all,
I just had back to back meetings with our investor and business advisor Patrick Bet David.
I wanted to share with you all some exciting notes from our 1 on 1...
Business Lesson: Time Reveals the Truth About Employees
When someone joins your company, they may look like the perfect fit at first.
They say the right things, nod their head in meetings, and blend in with the culture. But here’s the reality: people can’t hide their true values for long.
1. The Filter of Time
Good fits prove themselves through consistency, work ethic, and alignment with company values.
Bad fits eventually slip — they cut corners, clash with culture, or show they were only there for a paycheck.
Time sorts people better than any interview ever can.
2. You Don’t Have to Rush
Sometimes you’ll see red flags right away, but other times it takes months. Don’t stress over catching everything immediately. Give people enough room to show their true selves.
3. The Donnie Brasco Lesson
Joe Pistone (undercover FBI agent “Donnie Brasco”) spent nearly 6 years inside the mob before exposing 240 criminals. The point? No matter how well someone blends in, identity always surfaces. In business, the same is true: people reveal themselves eventually.
4. The Leader’s Job
Confront directly when behavior clashes with values.
Observe patiently when you’re not sure yet.
Act decisively once the truth is clear.
Takeaway
Hiring is never about perfection, it’s about filtering and continuing to filter.
Time is your ally. The right employees prove themselves. The wrong ones expose themselves. Your job is to stay sharp, pay attention, and act when the evidence is there.
I was thinking about this exact topic yesterday. I thought about it a little more introspectively too. I was hired and within my probation period, fired from a position because I "was no longer a good fit". What didn't make me a good fit? Was it my attitude or my commitment? Was it just like mixing oil and water? Why would they hire me in the first place? How was I different from the interviews to the point where they made the decision to let me go? I kind of let my brain do its thing and run through a hundred scenarios, I didn't try to stop my thought process as I normally would. I came to the conclusion along the lines of the Donny Brasco story, after a certain amount of time they just discovered that the company didn't hire the person they thought they did.
I took it all in and am very much more aware of myself and how I present myself to my customers, as a business owner. I am never going to be perfect to everyone but I am for sure aware now.
Now as I am thinking about hiring employees, I would say that no one is the an absolute perfect fit, but your job as a leader is to find the least worst fit!
