Episode Overview:

In this episode of the Wake Up Eager Workforce Podcast, host Suzie Price takes leaders behind the scenes of one of the most costly challenges in business—bad hires—and reveals how to eliminate guesswork with The FIT Formula, a data-driven system for hiring, onboarding, and developing top talent.

Suzie begins by addressing a hard truth: most hiring failures don't happen because of a lack of skill, but because of missing intangibles like poor self-management, weak communication, or misaligned motivation. With warmth and clarity, she introduces the Performance Dashboard—a simple yet powerful tool that helps leaders define the top three to five priorities that drive success in any role.

Through her signature car analogy, Suzie breaks down the five components of true fit: Roads Traveled (experience), How They Drive (behavior style), Under the Hood (personal skills), Gas in the Tank (motivators), and Where They Park (culture fit). She reminds listeners that hiring based on résumés alone is like buying a car just for its color—you need to know what powers it, how it performs, and where it belongs.

Suzie also shares real-world stories of mismatched hires—including a cautionary tale about a brilliant but misaligned physician—and how TriMetrix® tools reveal the hidden traits that predict true success. From there, she shows how the FIT Formula extends far beyond hiring, becoming a lifelong system for coaching, engagement, and leadership growth.

By the end of the episode, you'll understand why clarity is kindness in leadership—and how the FIT Formula gives you confidence, structure, and heart in every hiring and development decision.

Whether you're hiring your next team member or coaching your current stars, this episode will help you create alignment, reduce drama, and build a Wake Up Eager Workforce—one great hire at a time.

Read the full transcript of Episode 139: The FIT Formula — From Hiring Hopes to High-Performance Habits below and discover how to turn every hiring hope into a high-performance habit.

Takeaways of Episode #139 ---

• Clarity Creates Confidence: The Performance Dashboard transforms hiring chaos into precision by defining the top 3–5 priorities that truly drive success in any role.
• Hire the Whole Person: The FIT Formula helps leaders look beyond the résumé to understand how someone works, why they're motivated, and where they'll thrive.
• Data Drives Development: Superior Performance Attributes (SPAs)Hiring Templates and TriMetrix tools extend far beyond hiring—they fuel onboarding, coaching, and leadership growth throughout the employee lifecycle.

In this episode:

Suzie Price [00:04:11]: "Ninety percent of the time when someone is let go, it's not because of their résumé—it's because of missing intangibles like poor self-management, low accountability, weak communication, or misaligned motivation."

Suzie Price [00:05:28]: "Start where clarity begins—the Performance Dashboard. It pinpoints the three to five priorities that define success in a role and gives leaders and employees a shared vision of what winning looks like."

Suzie Price [00:12:59]: "Hiring based on the résumé alone is like buying a car just for the color of the paint. You need to know what's under the hood, how they drive, what fuels them, and where they'll thrive."

Suzie Price [00:22:08]: "Stop betting on gut instinct and incomplete data. Start hiring and developing with rigor and heart—because when people are in roles that fit, they don't just perform, they thrive."

[00:00:00] Suzie Price Welcome to this Wake Up Eager Workforce podcast mini-episode, where we share our monthly LinkedIn article in 10 minutes or less in a new audio format—thanks to our AI co-hosts. I'm Suzie Price, your host and founder of Priceless Professional Development. Whether you're listening to our long-form episodes or something like this, our focus is always on helping leaders and teams build a high-commitment, low-drama Wake Up Eager Workforce. We cover topics like hiring, building great teams, and waking up eager. Find all our episodes at wakeupeagerworkforce.com or subscribe anywhere you get your podcasts. Let me know if you're enjoying these mini episodes or if I can help in any way. You can reach me at suzie@pricelessprofessional.com or connect on LinkedIn. Thanks for tuning in—go out and have a Wake Up Eager kind of day! Here's a powerful moment from this month's article—an 80-year-old friend, in tears, saying: "This is not how I wanted my life to turn out."

[00:01:27] AI 1 That moment really stops you. It brings up that deep sense of regret or the constant questioning we sometimes feel—am I spending my time in alignment with what really matters? What's all of this really for?

[00:01:36] AI 2 Yeah, that line really hits hard. It touches on something universal—a quiet fear, or maybe a loud realization—that we're not living in a way that reflects our core values.

[00:01:49] AI 1 Exactly. That kind of reflection brings us back to the fundamentals: purpose, alignment, and meaning.

[00:02:03] AI 2 Which is what the article explores—through the lens of Robert S. Hartman and his work in axiology, or the science of values.

[00:02:16] AI 1 Axiology—let's unpack that. So our mission for the next few minutes is to share key insights from the article, to help guide us toward a more purposeful life—and hopefully away from those deep regrets.

[00:02:32] AI 2 Hartman was even nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. He didn't just theorize about values—he built a structured, almost scientific framework for understanding how we assign and experience value.

[00:02:51] AI 1 Measuring value—wow.

[00:02:53] AI 2 It's less about defining what's valuable and more about understanding how we structure value internally and how that shapes our lives.

[00:03:00] AI 1 So it's not just abstract philosophy—it's a practical science. But how does this help us avoid regret and live better?

[00:03:07] AI 2 The article highlights one of Hartman's biggest insights: meaning and fulfillment don't primarily come from knowledge or doing things—but from being.

[00:03:19] AI 1 That's what makes it so interesting—Hartman believed that being is the most vital source of meaning.

[00:03:27] AI 2 Exactly. He said, "To be is probably the most difficult and most important task of our moral lives." That was his foundation.

[00:03:37] AI 1 That's powerful—and very different from how we usually focus on achievements and external success. So how do we cultivate "being"?

[00:03:49] AI 2 The article suggests it's about developing your inner core—aligning your internal self with what you truly value.

[00:04:08] AI 1 That's brilliant. There's this quote—"Your inner self, your humbler being, is what makes dogs lick you." It's such a relatable way to express authenticity.

[00:04:18] AI 2 Exactly. That kind of quiet inner alignment builds real connection. The article ties this back to axiology as a tool—not just for leadership or hiring—but for personal clarity.

[00:04:40] AI 1 Which loops us back to that opening story. A life of regret often comes from being out of alignment. That's why understanding values—and prioritizing being—is so important.

[00:04:53] AI 2 Yes. The article suggests that if you're questioning your purpose, it helps to pause and focus on what brings you true meaning. Compassion, connection—even self-care—can anchor you to that deeper self.

[00:05:09] AI 1 So it's about aligning the doing with the being, using value clarity as a guide.

[00:05:24] AI 2 Exactly. It's not about a massive overnight change—it's about making intentional choices that build a life of fewer regrets.

[00:05:35] AI 1 So let's leave you with this: If "being" is the hardest yet most essential task, what does cultivating your inner self look like for you—today?