Relationships at Work - a trust-driven leadership podcast Character Counts: Rethinking How We Hire and Lead w/ Sean Vassilaros
In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with Sean Vassilaros, CEO and co-founder of Kanny, about what’s missing from hiring—and it’s not experience or skills. It’s character.
Sean dives deep into how character—not personality—drives behavior, shapes culture, and ultimately determines long-term success in the workplace. He shares why traditional hiring tools like resumes and references are fundamentally flawed, how peer-driven feedback can bring accountability to both employees and hiring managers, and why data-backed character insights could be the future of leadership and culture.
We talk:
- Why 75% of hires are still mis-hires
- How character traits like humility and accountability can be measured
- The rise of “Character Intelligence” as a cultural north star
- Creating development plans from day one
- What Glassdoor reviews reveal about accountability
- One question you should ask in every work relationship
If you’ve ever made a bad hire, been burned by a toxic teammate, or want to build a team of high-character humans—this episode is for you.
Hey! If you're enjoying the insights from our guests, you'll love our R@W Notes Newsletter. It’s packed with guest takeaways, the resources that inspire them, and my own tips on how we as leaders can be better humans for the humans the are responsible for. Go to RelationshipsAtWorkShow.com and Subscribe Now and help the workplace be more human.
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