Tom Clayton, COO of Peek, shares his unconventional playbook for building world-class teams. From his data-driven "employee attribute chart" to his rule of "don't be a brand b***h," Tom breaks down how he's scaled companies from 50 to 2000+ employees.

He dishes on everything from why he sends champagne to candidates' hotel rooms to why he encourages employees to quit and start their own companies.

If you’re listening on podcast platforms, be sure to check out our Substack or YouTube channel to see Tom’s framework slides onscreen:

Substack: https://hrheretics.substack.com/p/smart-hiring-with-tom-clayton

YouTube: Smart Hiring with Tom Clayton

*Email us your questions or topics for Kelli & Nolan: hrheretics@turpentine.co

For coaching and advising inquire at https://kellidragovich.com/

HR Heretics is a podcast from Turpentine.

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KEEP UP WITH NOLAN + KELLI ON LINKEDIN

Nolan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-church/

Kelli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellidragovich/

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RELATED LINK:

The Sales Acceleration Formula: Using Data, Technology, and Inbound Selling to go from $0 to $100 Million: https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Acceleration-Formula-Technology-Inbound/dp/1119047072

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro(00:37) The Employee Attribute Chart Explained(03:41) Contextual Attributes(05:00) Answering with Cues vs. Direct Questions(10:46) Training Others on the Attribute Chart(11:28) The Value of Multiple Interviews(13:15) Emotional Investment in the Group(14:17) Speed Dating Analogy for Interviews(14:27) Sponsor: Metaview(16:21) Expediting the Interview Process(17:03) Job Simulations and Work Trials(18:36) Difficulties with Senior Exec Simulations(20:39) The Importance of the "Mock Exec Meeting"(21:57) Making Intangibles Tangible(22:54) Evolution of Team Building Attributes(23:09) Team Building and Outreach(26:47) Don't Be a "Brand B***h"(29:11) The Value of Personal Touches(32:31) Sustaining Great Teams During Hyperscale(35:00) Meta's Performance Process(38:39) Encouraging Entrepreneurship(42:23) Altruism in the Industry(42:31) Wrap

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Episode 183 – Build-a-Dungeon 2025: Kaiju vs. Theme Park Employees