Summary In this episode, Anthony sits down with John Pezoulas, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Ready Set Exec, to talk about why so many companies struggle to hire the right leaders. John explains how AI is changing executive recruiting, why founders often hire based on comfort instead of fit, and how hidden bias, weak vetting, and unclear expectations can quietly hold a company back. Anthony and John also dig into ageism, culture, leadership, management mistakes, and what entrepreneurs need to understand before bringing in their first executive team.

Special Guest John Pezoulas is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Ready Set Exec, a North American executive search firm focused on helping companies hire leadership talent in sales, marketing, HR, operations, and executive roles. With deep recruiting and leadership experience, John helps founders and CEOs build stronger teams by improving vetting, reducing hiring bias, and creating a more intentional executive search process.

Chapters: 00:00 - Celebrating 100K subscribers & introducing John Pezoulas 00:56 - How AI is changing executive hiring 03:12 - Why some companies are avoiding the AI rush 04:40 - Construction, resistance to change, and old-school systems 07:04 - The biggest mistake founders make when hiring executives 09:13 - Why hiring people like you creates blind spots 10:10 - Ageism, bias, and missed experience in recruiting 12:37 - Politics, culture fit, and what really matters at work 14:56 - Values, leadership, and protecting company culture 15:37 - Why top performers do not always make great managers 18:43 - Hiring your first executive and learning to let go 25:18 - How to make the recruiting partnership successful

JOHN’S INFO: Website: https://readysetexec.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnpezoulas

PODCAST INFO: Website: https://FutureFactory.live Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0SsZRdrvWTUs1QY6Zu1sU6 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/future-factory/id1659895549 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/207e04aa-11a1-4b28-964a-148608422a49/future-factory FUTURE FACTORY SOCIAL: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/futurefactorypodcast/ Twitter: https://x.com/FutureFactoryFF Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/futurefactorypodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/futurefactorypodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@futurefactorypodcast?_t=8ZIxAf4Orra&_r=1

ANTHONY'S SOCIAL: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anthonyamunategui/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anthony.amunategui.3

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Stop Hiring People You Like | John Pezoulas

Future Factory

Stop Hiring People You Like | John Pezoulas