“It’s Not You, It’s Me”: A Hard Truth About Hiring and Culture
We’ve had a string of new hires lately that forced us to take a hard look at our training process—and ourselves.
Two very different scenarios brought the same lesson to the surface: success in our practice isn’t about experience. It’s about the ability to learn aggressively.
Let me explain.
We recently hired two new team members at the same time. One had years of experience in orthodontics; the other had zero. On paper, it seemed obvious who would thrive. But within just a few weeks, the inexperienced hire had already passed the “experienced” one in both pace and execution.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this pattern. And it always brings up the same question: should you hire experienced people at all?
Consultants are split on the topic. Some say never hire experience—it’s too hard to break old habits. Others argue experience is a shortcut to competency. Personally, I think it depends entirely on the individual. I’ll hire either, as long as they pass our process (which is a conversation for another blog).
But no matter how rigorous your hiring process is, there’s one thing you can’t fully evaluate until the person is in the seat: their true ability to learn, receive feedback, and grow—especially after the Hawthorne Effect fades.
For those unfamiliar, the Hawthorne Effect describes how people temporarily modify their behavior when they know they’re being observed. It’s why working interviews can only tell you so much. Once the spotlight dims, the real person emerges.
One of our recent new hires with no experience struggled in her early days. We had an honest conversation with her about our expectations—initiative, ownership, effort—and laid out a clear path forward. But after several course corrections, it became clear that the pace and intensity of our training were not the right fit. She chose to leave soon after.
In the case of the experienced hire, the struggle was different. She simply couldn’t absorb or apply feedback at the speed we needed. Despite her background, she wasn’t adapting.
These situations prompted us to ask the hard question: Are we asking too much from new hires?
After some honest self-reflection, the answer we came to is this: no—and yes.
Our training is demanding. Our standards are high. But that’s intentional. We’ve also had new team members recently who absolutely blossomed in the same environment—taking feedback, moving fast, and adding real value quickly.
The difference? Mindset, not resume.
Here’s what we realized: when we hire someone new, one of two things will happen very quickly.
They’ll love the pace, the structure, the growth—and thrive.
They’ll hate it.
We want to know which it is early. Not in six months—now.
So we’ve reframed our hiring mindset around one simple idea:
“It’s not you, it’s me.”
It’s not about blame. It’s about fit.
We’re not lowering our standards. We’re not slowing our growth. If someone isn’t a match for the way we train, communicate, and execute—it’s better for everyone to move on quickly. Holding on longer only makes everyone miserable.
I framed it this way to our team:
Keeping someone on the team who isn’t aligned with our standards is not fair to the culture of excellence we’ve built.
Addition by subtraction—until it’s not.
When you remove someone who isn’t the right fit, the team breathes easier. Momentum returns. The bar stays high. And most importantly, you protect the culture you’ve worked hard to create.
