How New Managers Can Make Smarter Hiring Decisions in Their First Year

New Manager Conversations with Fexingo: First 90 Days, Managing Former Peers, and Leadership Basics · Jun 11, 2026 · 8m · transcript

In this episode of New Manager Conversations, Lucas and Luna tackle a high-stakes challenge many first-time leaders face: making hiring decisions without a track record to lean on. Lucas shares a real case from a mid-stage SaaS company where a new manager, three months in, had to replace a departing team member. The episode drills into one specific decision framework — 'hire for pattern, not promise' — and walks through how to assess candidates against team gaps rather than generic job descriptions. Luna pushes back on the common advice to 'hire someone better than you,&#x27…