Episode Details

Hiring strategies to help small business owners attract, engage, and retain top talent.

Kim Leifsen is the founder of Hiring Strategies, where she teaches business leaders how to build sustainable, high-performing teams. With over a decade of experience in recruitment, leadership development, and executive coaching, Kim specializes in helping small to mid-sized organizations move beyond generic job descriptions to attract, engage, and keep the right talent using data-driven behavioral tools.

Conversation Highlights

• Why “best self” at work starts with comfort zones and self-awareness
• How unclear job descriptions create mismatched expectations and fast turnover 
• Defining roles with required behaviors and outcome-based performance rubrics 
• Using PXT Select to measure cognitive style, behavioral traits, and work interests 
• Why PXT Select differs from common personality tests and can be used legally in hiring 
• Reducing manager-employee friction by assessing team fit and leadership style 
• Helping candidates opt out early by sharing what the job and manager are really like 
• The “rubber band theory” and how chronic stretching shows up as anxiety and illness 
• Nine core drivers that help companies attract, engage, and keep top performers 

Full Episode Details: https://www.clearauthenticbrands.com/podcast/ep57-attract-engage-keep-employees-kim-leifsen

 Links & Resources 

• hiringstrategies.com
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimleifsen/
• The PXT Select
• ClearAuthenticBrands.com

Timestamps

• 00:00 - Introduction: Amy Dardis welcomes Kim Leifsen
• 01:46 - What it means to bring your "best self" to work
• 07:34 - The real root cause of rapid employee turnover in small business
• 11:02 - How to build behavioral rubrics into your job descriptions
• 17:36 - The 3 dimensions of PXT Select: Cognitive, Behavior, and Passion
• 20:35 - Legal hiring assessments vs. personality tests (DISC, Myers-Briggs)
• 25:40 - Why empowering candidates to opt out early saves thousands
• 35:36 - Breakdown of the 9 Gears to attract, engage, and keep talent
• 49:34 - The "Rubber Band Theory": How over-stretching causes workplace stress and burnout
• 1:00:46 - Why hiring accuracy matters even more for small businesses