You can afford anything, but not everything. We make daily decisions about how to spend money, time, energy, focus and attention – and ultimately, our life.
How do we make smarter decisions? How do we think from first principles?
On the surface, Afford Anything seems like a podcast about money and investing.
But under the hood, this is a show about how to think critically, recognize our behavioral blind spots, and make smarter choices. We’re into the psychology of money, and we love metacognition: thinking about how to think.
In some episodes, we interview world-class experts: professors, researchers, scientists, authors. In other episodes, we answer your questions, talking through decision-making frameworks and mental models.
Want to learn more? Download our free book, Escape, at http://affordanything.com/escape. Hosted by Paula Pant.
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You can afford anything, but not everything. We make daily decisions about how to spend money, time, energy, focus and attention – and ultimately, our life.
How do we make smarter decisions? How do we think from first principles?
On the surface, Afford Anything seems like a podcast about money and investing.
But under the hood, this is a show about how to think critically, recognize our behavioral blind spots, and make smarter choices. We’re into the psychology of money, and we love metacognition: thinking about how to think.
In some episodes, we interview world-class experts: professors, researchers, scientists, authors. In other episodes, we answer your questions, talking through decision-making frameworks and mental models.
Want to learn more? Download our free book, Escape, at http://affordanything.com/escape. Hosted by Paula Pant.
What If Everything We Know About Hiring Is Wrong?, with William Vanderbloemen
Afford Anything
1 hour 19 minutes
1 month ago
What If Everything We Know About Hiring Is Wrong?, with William Vanderbloemen
#662: Most teams hire for skills. The best teams hire for wiring.
What if the reason someone accelerates your organization, or quietly derails it, has more to do with their response time, processing style, or sense of mission than their résumé?
This episode dives into the hidden patterns that shape how people work, make decisions, and handle pressure; the clues we often overlook, and the tiny tells that reveal who will thrive.
We’re joined by William Vanderbloemen, whose firm has completed nearly 4,000 executive searches.
After reviewing years of candidate data, he discovered why some people create momentum everywhere they go and others struggle, even when they look perfect on paper.
We explore what “fast thinkers” and “slow thinkers” bring to a team, how to spot agility before you hire someone, and why some workers need a mission while others need a measurable win.
Along the way, we reflect on our own tendencies and how understanding them can change the way we build teams, manage energy, and make long-term decisions.
Key Takeaways
Response speed can signal mental wiring, not politeness, which makes it a powerful hiring clue.
The real interview starts long before the formal meeting, which means every informal interaction counts.
Agility shows up when plans change, so micro-tests can reveal how someone handles shifting conditions.
Many high performers are driven either by purpose or measurable progress, and knowing which matters.
Understanding our own lane helps us hire better, delegate better, and build systems that reduce friction.
Resources and Links
Simon Sinek, Start With Why https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA
Vanderbloemen Group https://vanderbloemengroup.com/
Be the Unicorn by William Vanderbloemen https://www.amazon.com/Be-Unicorn-Data-Driven-Separate-Leaders/dp/1400247101
Chapters
Note: Timestamps are approximate and may vary greatly across listening platforms due to dynamically inserted ads.
(00:00) What thousands of executive searches revealed
(10:35) The nine markers of high performers
(22:01) Fast thinkers, slow thinkers, and finding your lane
(25:35) Why response time predicts performance
(25:48) Testing agility in real-world scenarios
(47:16) Why purpose matters more to younger workers
(55:13) Why curiosity is a career superpower
Share this episode with a friend, colleagues, your veterinarian: https://affordanything.com/episode662
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Afford Anything
You can afford anything, but not everything. We make daily decisions about how to spend money, time, energy, focus and attention – and ultimately, our life.
How do we make smarter decisions? How do we think from first principles?
On the surface, Afford Anything seems like a podcast about money and investing.
But under the hood, this is a show about how to think critically, recognize our behavioral blind spots, and make smarter choices. We’re into the psychology of money, and we love metacognition: thinking about how to think.
In some episodes, we interview world-class experts: professors, researchers, scientists, authors. In other episodes, we answer your questions, talking through decision-making frameworks and mental models.
Want to learn more? Download our free book, Escape, at http://affordanything.com/escape. Hosted by Paula Pant.
