Secrets to Hiring, Leadership & Resilience with Mike Lejeune

Episode #
80
Published on
March 7, 2025

In this episode of Referrals Done Right, Scott Grates sits down with leadership expert, recruiter, and coach Mike Lejeune to discuss the keys to hiring the right people, building resilient teams, and leading with intention. Mike shares insights from his upcoming book Secrets for Hiring Right and decades of experience in recruiting and leadership development.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

  • The Art of Hiring Right: Why attitude, mental approach, and resilience matter more than skills when selecting top talent.
  • Finding the Internal Spark: How to identify individuals who have the natural drive and passion to succeed in sales and leadership roles.
  • Balancing Selling and Vetting in Interviews: How to ensure you’re attracting the right candidates without overselling the position.
  • Building Resilient Teams: Why the best employees are those who have faced and overcome challenges, and how to assess this in interviews.
  • The Shift to Remote Work: How hiring, leadership, and company culture have changed post-COVID, and what to look for in remote candidates.


This episode is packed with actionable hiring strategies, leadership insights, and powerful advice for business owners, recruiters, and leaders looking to build high-performing teams.

---
Episode Markers:
(0:00) - Introduction and Guest Overview
(0:45) - What Continues to Drive Mike?
(2:40) - What Do You Look For in People?
(5:30) - Resilience & Effort
(8:20) - Definitions
(9:45) - Power of Follow Up Questions
(13:15) - Vetting Properly
(15:55) - What Was the Most Difficult Situation?
(19:30) - DNA & Personality Assessments
(27:50) - Remote Workers
(34:15) - Mike's Upcoming Book
(35:30) - Working with Mike
(37:00) - Rapid Fire Questions