Relationships at Work - the leadership podcast helping you build workplace connection, improve culture, and avoid blind spots. 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.
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