Most bad hires aren't skill problems. They're fit problems. In this episode of The Impact List, host Laurie Fainer, Founder and CEO of Dynamic Alchemy Advisors, sits down with Amber Johnson, CEO of Forge Performance Group. Amber has spent over a decade helping companies in energy, construction, oil and gas, and healthcare hire and keep strong teams, and she breaks down why chasing the resume instead of the person is where most hiring processes go wrong.

Amber shares how she uses core values conversations and DiSC profiles to spot real fit before a resume tells the story, why promoting a top individual contributor into leadership without a coaching plan is one of the costliest mistakes a growing company makes, and the story of her very first client, whose advice changed the trajectory of her business.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why promoting your best individual contributor into a leadership role without a coaching plan is one of the most common and costly startup hiring mistakes.
• Why authenticity in an interview, on both sides, uncovers whether someone is the right fit instead of just skilled at selling themselves.
• Why trusting your recruiter or hiring process, even when it feels uncomfortable, is often the real skill a first time founder needs to build.

We talk about:

00:00 Amber Johnson introduces Forge Performance Group and her hiring philosophy

02:09 The client story that shows why core values beat a perfect resume

04:06 What leaders miss about themselves in the hiring process

07:00 How to give a candidate an honest picture of a role

09:01 What to do when a candidate stops showing up as themselves

12:00 What it takes to stay authentic across every environment

14:07 What Amber had to unlearn from her early oil and gas career

16:52 Why leaders assume everyone should operate exactly like they do

22:55 Why promoting your best individual contributor can be an expensive mistake

27:08 Who is Sean Stinson and how he shaped Amber's leadership

32:06 How to connect with Amber Johnson and Forge Performance Group

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Connect with Amber:

• Email: amber@forgeperform.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forgeperformanceservices
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/forge-performance-group/people/
• Website: https://www.forgeperformancegroup.ca/

Connect with me

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dynamicalchemyadvisors
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamic-alchemy-advisors/
• Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriefainer/
• Website: https://amplified-authenticity.com/

Music created and produced by Riley Fouchier, DarkSky Productions