Outcome-Based Hiring Scorecard
Define success first, then hire for evidence, pull, and values
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 98%
The Outcome-Based Hiring Scorecard starts at the end: imagine the person begins today and, 12 months later, the team is celebrating an excellent hire. Document what changed in the business, then look for candidates who have already produced comparable outcomes. Evidence can be analogous for junior people, such as any history of selling before a first account-executive role, but should be explicit for senior leaders. Next, examine whether strong former colleagues repeatedly pulled the candidate into later jobs, a signal that they created raving fans. Finally, test values through a culture interview that is independent from functional and technical assessment. This method turns hiring from prestige-based gambling into a structured comparison between future needs and demonstrated history.
Origin
Enjoy the Work operationalized and expanded ideas from Geoff Smart and Randy Street's book Who: The A Method for Hiring, adapting parts Lowenhar considered dated.
Core principles
- 01Hiring is a means to a business outcome, not the outcome itself
- 02Past evidence is stronger than employer prestige
- 03Outstanding people are often pulled into later roles by former colleagues
- 04Values require independent evaluation alongside capability
- 05Relevant evidence can be analogous for junior candidates and explicit for executives
How to run it
- 1
Define future success
Imagine 12 successful months have passed and document what is different about the business. Use these outcomes instead of beginning with a standard job description.
Pro tip Tie every outcome to the company milestone that makes the role necessary.
Watch out Starting with a title can lock the hiring manager into confirmation bias.
- 2
Look for comparable evidence
Ask candidates for specific examples of producing the required outcomes. For junior roles, accept analogous evidence that demonstrates the underlying behavior; for executives, require direct stage-relevant experience.
Pro tip A junior seller may show hunting behavior through fundraising, ticket sales, or nonprofit work.
Watch out A famous former employer does not show what the individual actually accomplished.
- 3
Trace pull through the career
Examine whether former managers or colleagues recruited the person into later roles. Repeated pull suggests that people who observed the candidate closely wanted to work with them again.
Pro tip Ask which former bosses would immediately advocate for the candidate.
Watch out Treat equivocation about references as a reason to investigate, not to rationalize.
- 4
Separate the interview lenses
Run culture, functional, and technical interviews with explicit evidence criteria for each. Use strong values ambassadors from across the company for the culture assessment.
Pro tip Keep values interviewers independent of title so the strongest cultural stewards can participate.
Watch out Do not let technical brilliance compensate silently for a values mismatch.
- 5
Score against the future
Compare each candidate with the documented outcomes, evidence, pull history, and values. Make the decision from the scorecard rather than from charisma or urgency.
Pro tip Require interviewers to record evidence before the group debrief.
Watch out The hiring manager's pain can make any available candidate feel better than they are.
In the wild
One portfolio company needed junior account executives with only two years of work experience. Instead of demanding years of quota attainment, the team defined the future outcome, building pipeline and closing business, then searched candidates' histories for any credible selling or hunting behavior.
→ The company preserved the 'done it before' standard without imposing impossible senior-level credentials on junior candidates.
Lenny describes Airbnb codifying what founders Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nate Blecharczyk valued, then using a handpicked team to assess values in every interview loop. The interviewers came from across the company rather than only senior leadership.
→ Employees who embodied the culture independently protected it during hiring.
Common mistakes
Starting from the job description
A generic responsibility list obscures the business change that made the hire necessary and weakens evidence-based comparison.
Hiring the logo
Prior employment at Meta or Salesforce is not proof that the candidate personally performed the work your stage requires.
Using one blended interview
Combining culture, functional, and technical judgment makes trade-offs implicit and lets a strong impression mask missing evidence.
Is it for you?
Best for
Founders hiring critical individual contributors or executives for a clearly defined next stage.
Not ideal for
Roles whose required outcomes remain unknown because the company's strategy is still unresolved.
From the episode
How a great founder becomes a great CEO
Jonathan Lowenhar (co-founder of Enjoy The Work)