The Enthusiastic Rehire Test
One binary question that cuts through months of avoided talent decisions
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 3
- Confidence
- 85%
A single clarifying question for talent decisions: 'Would I enthusiastically rehire this person for the same role?' Because it's binary, it produces an immediate, honest full-body reaction that reveals what endless difficult conversations often can't. Use it when you're avoiding a call on an underperforming leader or team member.
Origin
Lockett says this was the question always asked at Stripe. She raises it when a CEO is avoiding a conversation with, say, an underperforming COO — they keep getting let down and deep down know it isn't working. Lenny notes Netflix (via CTO Elizabeth Stone) operates the same way — the 'keeper test.'
Core principles
- 01A binary question forces an honest, immediate, physical reaction — like the 'full-body yes'
- 02A 'no' does not mean 'fire immediately' — it means you must do something (feedback, performance plan, role change, or search)
- 03In fast-scaling companies it's natural that a leader who fit an earlier stage no longer fits — reckon with that rather than avoid it
- 04You're avoiding the conversation because you care and there's something to learn; the avoidance itself is a signal
How to run it
- 1
Notice the avoidance
Catch yourself repeatedly avoiding a talent conversation, telling yourself you'll wait six months or just keep plowing forward.
Pro tip The thing you fear points to what matters — 'the cave you fear contains the treasure you seek.'
- 2
Ask the binary question
Ask yourself: 'Would I enthusiastically rehire this person for the same role?' Notice your immediate, honest gut reaction.
Pro tip Trust the physical, full-body reaction — it's more honest than your rationalizations.
- 3
Act on a 'no' — without necessarily firing
If the answer is no, take action: have the conversation, put them on a performance plan, move them to a different role that fits the current stage, or open a search.
Pro tip A CFO who was 'really fine back then' may now belong as controller — recognize the stage shift rather than blaming the person.
Watch out Doing nothing after a clear 'no' is the failure mode — no amount of difficult conversations will fix a genuine no.
In the wild
A CEO with an underperforming COO keeps avoiding the conversation, worn down by repeated letdowns and deep down knowing it isn't working. Asked whether they'd enthusiastically rehire the person for the same role, the honest answer is no.
→ The binary question provided the clarity to stop muddling and take action — even just engaging the hard conversation surfaced the clarity needed to act on the talent situation.
Common mistakes
Reading 'no' as 'fire them now'
A no means you must act, but the action can be feedback, a performance plan, or a role change — it's less scary than it sounds.
Endless difficult conversations in place of a decision
If you wouldn't enthusiastically rehire them, no number of talks fixes it — you eventually have to make the structural call.
Is it for you?
Best for
Founders and CEOs procrastinating on an underperforming leader while trying to build an A+ team
Not ideal for
Situations where the real fix is coaching, role-fit adjustment, or where the 'underperformance' is actually a stage mismatch worth solving in place
From the transcript
“would you enthusiastically rehire this person for the same role? Which is the question we always asked at Stripe?”
“It's very clarifying because it's binary.”
“the answer isn't if it's no, it's not fire them. It's you need to do something about it.”
From the episode
A guide to difficult conversations, building high-trust teams, and designing a life you love
Rachel Lockett