Who

Smart and Street argue that hiring mistakes are the costliest problem in business and offer the A Method to fix them. The process centers on writing a scorecard, sourcing candidates continuously, running structured interviews (including the in-depth Topgrading interview), and selling top candidates on the role. The method emphasizes defining outcomes clearly and checking references rigorously.

For a startup, a single bad early hire can be catastrophic, and most founders interview on gut feel. This book gives a concrete, repeatable hiring system: define the role precisely, interview structurally, and reference-check hard.