"Fast-Paced Environment" Is a Red Flag, Not a Selling Point
Intel Brief
What companies actually mean when they say fast-paced — and why it's costing them hires.
Zach Brown
Founder, Sales Pipeline Pros
Operator Note
When I see a company wanting to hire and they have a "fast-paced environment" in the listing…
What I take that to mean is this:
• We have doodoo systems • We're always behind • No one really has any idea what they're doing • "Training" is figuring it out in the fire • Expect to be pissed off by week 2 • High churn is just the poor work ethic weeding itself out • Oh and we're going to blame you for all of it
Why can't we pitch our jobs (and actually have them be) calm and peaceful, not stressful, organized and well-oiled and supportive?
A "fast-paced environment" should mean fast decisions, fast feedback, fast iteration…
NOT fast burnout because leadership can't get their stuff together.
NOTHING, and I repeat, NOTHING in the book says our work HAS to be a shit-show.
We rise and fall to the level of our systems.
Business is already hard enough with all the curveballs we get thrown, and it's already difficult enough WITHOUT the additional self-inflicting pain and suffering we allow to fall on ourselves because we don't want to actually take the time to build operations the right way.
Slow and smooth, and smooth is fast.
Just "fast" is how you crash and burn.
Written by Zach Brown
1,100+ hires placed. 300 founders. Five years of reading people for a living. Need a sales hire?
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