You Can't Change Them

Andrew Wilkinson has hired hundreds of people. His biggest lesson?

'The biggest mistake I made in my early career was I would hire people because I liked them on gut and I would think that I could change them. It's kind of like in romantic relationships, it never works out well. I've never been able to change someone. You can never mentor someone out into being a good employee.'

This is your toddler.

You want them to be calmer. More patient. Less sensitive. More adventurous. Less stubborn. Easier.

But they're not. They're themselves.

'Hire for what you need. Don't hire for potential. You need to hire someone who already is fully formed and can do what you need.'

Your toddler is already fully formed. They're not broken. They're not a problem to fix. They're a person to understand.

The stubborn kid will always be stubborn. Your job is to work with that, not against it.

You can't mentor them into being a different person.