Why Smart Leaders Still Make Bad Hires (And Don’t See It Coming)
Release Date: 06/01/2026
What Gives You Energy and What Quietly Drains It, the 7 Day Energy Audit
The Wake Up Eager Podcast
Learn how to notice what genuinely gives you energy, recognize the quiet drains you may have stopped seeing, and use a simple 7-Day Energy Audit to make more intentional choices about where your energy goes. TOP 3 TAKEAWAYS 1. Your Energy Leaves Clues 2. Go Underneath the Activity to Discover What Really Energizes You 3. Not All Tired Is the Same—and Not Every Drain Means “Stop” KEY QUOTES “Our energy leaves clues for us.” “Sometimes our feelings are giving us an answer before we've actually figured out how to explain it.” “The clock doesn't necessarily...
info_outline
When a Good Opportunity Isn’t the Right Opportunity
The Wake Up Eager Podcast
Sometimes the hardest opportunities to turn down are the good ones; Suzie Price shares a four question Opportunity Filter to help you decide what truly deserves your time, energy, and attention right now. TOP 3 TAKEAWAYS 1. Being able to do something doesn’t mean it belongs in your life. Capacity and calling are not the same thing. An opportunity can be good, flattering, profitable, or interesting and still not fit what matters most to you right now. 2. Every yes has a trade-off. Instead of asking only, “Can I fit this in?” ask, “What gets less of me if I say yes?” Time,...
info_outline
When It’s Hell No, Don’t Go: Trusting Your Inner Guidance
The Wake Up Eager Podcast
How do you know when discomfort is the healthy stretch of growth—and when your own internal guidance is telling you that something simply isn't right for you? TOP 3 TAKEAWAYS 1. Pay attention to your first response—before your brain starts negotiating with it. Suzie's wedding story is an exaggerated but memorable example: she knew immediately that singing a solo made absolutely no sense for her, yet she talked herself into saying yes because she was flattered, wanted to please her friend, and overrode what she already knew. 2. You don't have to make something—or someone—wrong...
info_outline
Under the Hood: What Acumen Really Tells Us About How We Think, Decide & Lead
The Wake Up Eager Podcast
Suzie Price takes listeners “under the hood” of TriMetrix to explore how Acumen reveals the clarity behind the way we understand people, handle reality, navigate systems, see ourselves, understand our roles and envision our future—and why that matters for better decisions, stronger leadership and meaningful development. TOP 3 TAKEAWAYS 1. Behavior is not capability. DISC helps us understand how someone naturally communicates and behaves, but it does not tell us everything they are capable of doing. A quiet, understated person may have tremendous clarity and judgment under...
info_outline
Eric Church’s Six Strings of Life: Are the Things That Matter Most in Your Life in Tune?
The Wake Up Eager Podcast
Inspired by Eric Church’s powerful 2026 UNC commencement speech, Suzie Price connects his “six strings of life” to six dimensions of Axiology to explore how greater self-awareness can help us notice what has drifted out of tune—and intentionally make the adjustments that matter. TOP 3 TAKEAWAYS 1. Nothing has to be broken to need tuning. Every important part of life can drift—our direction, relationships, roles, work, community, and even our sense of who we are. The goal is not perfect balance; it is developing enough awareness to notice when something needs attention and...
info_outline
Make People Feel Something: Leadership with Kevin Paul Scott
The Wake Up Eager Podcast
Kevin Paul Scott shares how authentic, intentional leaders make people feel seen and valued—and why balancing relationships, accountability, and results creates experiences people want to return to. TOP 3 TAKEAWAYS 1. Real connection happens where authenticity meets intentionality. Good intentions are not enough, and polished techniques can feel manipulative. Kevin describes authentic connection as the intersection of authenticity—your motives—and intentionality—the effort you put into connecting. That includes the small things: looking up from your phone, remembering...
info_outline
2026 Tip # 5 Nicole Williams - Mini Episode
The Wake Up Eager Podcast
info_outline
Wired to Connect: How Strong Couples Stop Missing Each Other with Kathy Rushing
The Wake Up Eager Podcast
Relationship coach Kathy Rushing shares practical ways ambitious couples can recognize unhealthy patterns, communicate through conflict, understand their different wiring, and remain connected when work and life become demanding. TOP 3 TAKEAWAYS 1. Stop looking for the person to blame and start recognizing the dance. Most couples develop a recurring pattern in which each person’s response triggers the other person’s next move. Kathy compares it to a dance: sometimes couples move together beautifully, and sometimes they repeatedly step on each other’s toes. The breakthrough comes...
info_outline
It Shouldn’t Be This Hard: The Truth About Right People, Right Seats (SOLO Episode)
The Wake Up Eager Podcast
Suzie shares a personal lesson about placing good people in the wrong roles and introduces a practical five-part Job Fit model and the REV process for turning chronic workplace friction into clarity, accountability, and momentum. TOP 3 TAKEAWAYS 1. A good person can still be in the wrong seat. Commitment, loyalty, kindness, and effort do not automatically equal job fit. Someone can care deeply and still lack the experience, motivation, natural strengths, judgment, or personal skills that the role requires. 2. Job fit includes five distinct areas. Suzie’s car analogy provides a...
info_outline
Mini Episode: When Everyone Wants the VP Role: Ambition Isn’t the Same as Fit
The Wake Up Eager Podcast
When several capable people want the same leadership role, the best decision comes from clearly defining what the position requires and evaluating each person’s true fit—not simply rewarding ambition, tenure, or visibility. TOP 3 TAKEAWAYS 1. Wanting the role does not automatically mean someone is suited for it. Ambition can be valuable, but desire alone does not tell you whether a person has the judgment, leadership approach, emotional maturity, or personal skills the position requires. Someone may genuinely want the promotion and still be a better fit for a different path....
info_outlineSmart leaders still make bad hires because they skip upfront clarity—failing to define observable success for the role—then rely on general interview questions and are swayed by likability/confidence. In this episode, your host Suzie Price, discusses the fixes.
TOP 3 TAKEAWAYS
- 1. Define success first. Identify the observable, day-to-day behaviors the role requires before interviewing.
- 2. Anchor interviews to those priorities. Create behavioral questions tied to the top 3–5 Superior Performance Attributes.
- 3. Don’t confuse likability with fit. Evaluate competence against the defined attributes, not just confidence or rapport.
KEY QUOTES
- - "Confidence is not competence, connection is not capability."
- - "Define what success looks like in this role five days a week, not in theory, not in a job posting, but in real observable behavior."
- - "Ask yourself, what are the top three to five things this person must do well every single day to be successful?"
- - "Good questions don't work if they're not anchored to something specific to your role at this time in this company, in your position, in your team."
- - "They slow down before they speed up."
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
- - Define 3–5 daily must-dos for the role (observable behaviors).
- - Build a simple scorecard with those attributes and 1–5 anchors.
- - Write 1–2 STAR behavioral questions per attribute and ask the same to all finalists.
- - Assign interviewers to evaluate specific attributes and use the scorecard in debriefs.
- - Add a short work-sample or situational task tied to the top attribute.
- - Create 30/60/90 outcomes linked to the attributes and review early.
ABOUT THE HOST
Suzie Price is the founder of Priceless Professional Development and host of the Wake Up Eager Workforce Podcast. For more than 20 years, she has helped leaders and organizations improve hiring, communication, and performance through the practical application of behavioral science, personal development, and the TriMetrix assessment suite.