Definition
Stage
In restaurant hiring, a trial shift where a chef cooks in the actual kitchen before an offer. The chef in Shar's case study did four-day stages.
From the episode “Hiring Is an Operations Problem, Not an HR Problem”Hear it on the podcast1 episode
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Related terms in Leadership & Mindset
Soft Skills GapThe measurable deficit in interpersonal and communication abilities among healthcare workers, caused by training systems that prioritize clinical competency over human interaction skills.Somatic practiceAttention to physical sensations in the body as a meditation technique.SOP (standard operating procedure)Standard Operating Procedure — a documented way of performing a task. Dobbin helps surface implicit SOPs without forcing founders to write them from scratch.Sought-After LeadershipUma Subramanian's concept of the leadership profile that organizations actively compete to retain and promote: the combination of strategic thinking, high-impact communication, authentic executive presence, and genuine relationship-building. Distinct from technically excellent work; sought-after leaders are known across organizational boundaries, sought for cross-functional projects, and trusted by senior stakeholders. The gap between strong IC and sought-after leader is almost always a human edge gap — rarely a skills gap.Stage-Appropriate HiringThe discipline of hiring to functions that match the current stage of the company, not the desired future stage. Hiring marketing or sales before the product exists creates expensive activity theater — people who fill time rather than build real leverage. Ohad hired support and marketing staff too early and counts it as his most expensive mistake.Stakeholder InfluenceThe capacity to move senior leaders, peers, and direct reports toward shared goals without relying on formal authority or positional power. Stakeholder influence is built through authentic relationship investment (knowing what matters to each person, not just their title), consistent delivery, and communication that connects your work to their priorities. Distinct from political maneuvering: authentic influence compounds over time, while performative relationship-building is detected and erodes credibility. In the AI era, stakeholder influence is among the least replicable human capabilities — it requires genuine trust built through repeated human interaction.Steel manningArguing the strongest possible version of the position you disagree with. Ryan's ground rule for the panel.Steel-manBuilding the strongest possible version of an opposing argument, the opposite of a straw-man.