Don’t try to change people—hire people is the core of modern hiring wisdom. It’s about focusing your energy on selection, not rehabilitation, to build a truly effective team.
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Meaning
At its heart, this quote means you should invest your effort in finding the right person from the start, rather than wasting time and resources trying to fundamentally alter someone who isn’t a good fit.
Explanation
Look, I’ve seen this play out so many times. A manager hires someone who’s almost right, thinking “I can fix that” or “I can train that out of them.” And you know what happens? Nine times out of ten, you’re fighting an uphill battle against someone’s core personality, work ethic, or ingrained habits. It’s exhausting. What Brian Tracy is really saying is to flip the script. Spend that energy upfront. Be ruthlessly selective. Hire for character, for drive, for intrinsic motivation—the stuff you can’t teach. Because skills? You can train skills. But you can’t train someone to care. You just can’t.
Quote Summary
Reading Level50
Aesthetic Score82
Origin & Factcheck
This insight comes straight from Brian Tracy’s 2001 book, Hire and Keep the Best People. It’s a cornerstone of his philosophy on building a great team. You sometimes see similar sentiments floating around, but this specific, powerful phrasing is all Tracy.
Attribution Summary
Author Bio
Brian Tracy, a prolific author gained global reputation because of his best seller book list such as Eat That Frog!, Goals!, and The Psychology of Selling, and created influential audio programs like The Psychology of Achievement. He is sought after guru for personal development and business performance. Brian Tracy International, coaches millions of professionals and corporates on sales, goal setting, leadership, and productivity.
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Where is this quotation located?
| Quotation | Don’t try to change people—hire people who don’t need to be changed |
| Book Details | Publication Year/Date: 2001; ISBN: 978-1576751275; Last edition: 2001, Berrett-Koehler Publishers; Number of pages: 112. |
| Where is it? | Chapter: Right Fit Hiring; Approximate page from 2001 edition |
Context
In the book, this isn’t just a one-off line. It’s the culmination of his entire argument about the strategic importance of hiring. He frames it as a fundamental principle to avoid the massive hidden costs of a bad hire—the drain on your time, the team’s morale, and overall productivity.
Usage Examples
So how do you actually use this? It’s a mindset shift.
- For a Startup Founder: You’re stretched thin. Every single person on your tiny team needs to be a self-starter. You can’t afford to micromanage or “fix” someone’s lack of initiative. You hire for that fire in the belly.
- For a Team Lead: You’re interviewing a candidate with a great resume but a negative attitude. The old you might have thought, “Well, the team can handle it.” The new you recognizes that a bad attitude is a virus, and you don’t hire viruses.
- For a Hiring Manager: You stop focusing so much on the exact checklist of technical skills. You start asking behavioral questions designed to uncover their core drivers. You’re looking for people who don’t need to be changed.
To whom it appeals?
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Common Questions
Question: Doesn’t this mean we should never train or develop our people?
Answer: Not at all! This is a crucial distinction. Development is about enhancing a person’s existing strengths and skills. “Changing” someone is about trying to alter their fundamental nature—like turning a passive person into a proactive leader. One works. The other is a recipe for frustration.
Question: What if I can’t find the “perfect” candidate who doesn’t need any change?
Answer: It’s not about perfection; it’s about core alignment. Maybe they need to learn your specific software—that’s a trainable skill. But if they lack accountability or a collaborative spirit, that’s a core trait that’s incredibly difficult to instill. Hire for the core traits, train for the skills.
Question: Is this only for hiring, or does it apply elsewhere?
Answer: It’s a brilliant life philosophy. Think about partnerships, friendships, even clients. You’ll save yourself a world of hurt by associating with people who are already aligned with your values, rather than trying to convince others to change theirs.
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