Before You Quit, Read This
Most people jump ship before they’ve given themselves a chance to grow.
Josh Swing operates differently. In today’s article, Josh emphasizes the importance of commitment, working with excellence, and prioritizing people and culture over everything.
Heading into year 9 at Wildsparq, Josh has seen the ups and downs that come with long-term employment. He’s here to share his most important takeaways from the past 8 years and beyond.
How do you evaluate whether someone will be a good fit for your team?
Culture fit is non-negotiable. Every person either adds to or subtracts from it. We use our six core values (integrity, enthusiasm, excellence, relationships, 360° leader development, and exponential impact) as a filter.
We also use assessments like Working Genius, DISC, and Myers-Briggs, not as the end-all-be-all, but to spark conversation and gain insight into how someone might show up on the team.
What are some common mistakes you see that harm team culture?
Hiring out of desperation is a dangerous place to be. It shifts your mindset from “Will this person add to our culture?” to “Can they just do the job?” That usually happens when you haven’t developed people internally and don’t have a strong leadership bench, so you keep panic hiring and stay stuck in a toxic cycle.
Is there someone on your team who stands out and has made a transformative impact?
So many come to mind:
Cord Sachs (CEO/Founder): A visionary. He casts a big-picture vision and attracts top talent.
Josh Etress ⚡️ (former team member): Incredible coach, held people accountable, and helped them grow.
Corey Towe (COO): Laser-focused. Keeps the main thing the main thing and leads by example.
Peyton Welch (Director of Sales): High on “Wonder” in Working Genius and constantly challenges the status quo.
Hampton Dortch (former team member): Brings contagious joy and passion. He rallies people with how he shows up.
Within hiring or leading the team, what are some challenges you’ve faced and how have you overcome them?
One big challenge is when a key leader leaves. We’re creatures of comfort. We crave safety and security. So when change hits a team, people often jump to worst-case scenarios.
Communication in that moment is critical. Someone has to step up and fill the void with steady, consistent messaging to reassure the team that success is still possible. As a leader, your focus has to be: how do we reinstate confidence that we’re still on the right track, with the right vision and mission?
What do you want job seekers to take away from this?
I’ll give you three things:
Stay committed. You’d be amazed at what can happen if you commit to something for five years. The 10,000 hours rule applies. If you work for 5 years, you will surpass the 10,000 hours rule for whatever job or profession you're in. A lot of people are jumping ship to the next thing before they can grow in a role and be really successful at something that will unlock an even bigger opportunity than they would have had originally.
Go where you're going to grow the most over the next two years. If you reach stagnation within those five years, re-evaluate. Look at where you’ll grow the most. Think about the person you want to become and what environment will help make that a reality.
Prioritize people and culture over everything. Before anything else in your job search, identify people you want to work with. Who you’re surrounded by plays a huge role in your success. The best plant in bad soil won’t grow. You might have the right skill set and the dream role, but if it’s not in good soil, you’ll end up in a season of regret.
What should job seekers know about interviewing at Wildsparq?
You have to prioritize people and culture. It’s important to show that you are others-centered. Are you someone who asks questions, or do you just let people ask you questions? The ones we really want are already showing concern for the team, even before they’re on it.
Communicate that you align with our core values. Maybe you have your own personal values, and that’s fine, but you have to be able to embrace WildSparq’s values and why they matter to you.
We don’t hire fast. It’s going to be a process. Just enter into it knowing it’ll take some time because we want to make sure there’s a true fit.
What’s one skill or trait that will be essential for success in the future of work?
While AI has been a little overhyped, it’s going to be a significant part of the future. The great leaders over the next 5 to 10 years will be the ones who use AI to amplify human connection, not replace it.
People are using AI to cut out creativity and the need for personal interaction, and others are using it to enhance those things. The gap between those two approaches will only grow. The real opportunity is to use tools like AI to make relationships and conversations more meaningful.
Thanks so much for sharing, Josh.
If you’d like to learn more about Josh or Wildsparq, check out his LinkedIn here or Wildsparq’s website here.