When Hiring Feels Like Dodging Tomahawks - Xist4

August 11, 2025

When Hiring Feels Like Dodging Tomahawks

When Founders Start Ducking

Last week, I heard something that made me laugh and wince at the same time. A fintech CTO told me, deadpan: “Gozie, hiring a cybersecurity lead right now feels like dodging Tomahawks.” I asked if he meant the interview process was intense. “No,” he said. “I mean every wrong hire is a missile to the business.”

Turns out, I can’t stop thinking about that metaphor — because he’s right. In a high-stakes startup, especially in fintech and greentech, bad hires don’t just slow you down. They leave impact craters. And when the field you're hiring in is as sensitive as data or cyber? Those craters get expensive. Fast.

So, let’s decode this battlefield. If you’re a founder, COO or CTO losing sleep over open roles in your BI, Data or Cyber teams — consider this your briefing.

The Talent War is Real — and Misdirected

Every startup thinks they’re in a war for talent. But here’s the twist: most of them are frantically fighting over the wrong people, using the wrong tactics. That’s self-sabotage.

Why? Because traditional recruitment thinking goes something like:

  • “We need someone ASAP. Let’s throw the JD on LinkedIn.”
  • “Must have 8 years experience... in a field that’s only existed for 5.”
  • “Let’s get someone from Big Tech — the shinier the CV, the better.”

Here’s the problem: that’s hiring defensive. It’s reactive, generic, and often disconnected from what a scale-up actually needs. Especially in domains where context, agility, and culture alignment matter ten times more than brand-logo pedigree.

Instead, flip your recruitment goal:

  • Don’t just hire what looks good on paper. Hire the context-fit operator who solves your problems.
  • Don’t over-index on hard skills. Index on decision-making under pressure. Startups are chaos — you want calm command inside that data cockpit.
  • Don’t wait until your platform is on fire. Hire your cyber people before the breach. Not after.

Hiring well in these fields isn’t tactical. It’s strategic warfare. Which brings me to the next intel drop…

The High Cost of Slow (or Wrong) Hires

Let me be blunt: a head of data who can’t bring clarity to chaos? That hire won’t cost you £150k — it could cost you your next fundraise. Or your compliance. Or your exit.

I’ve seen this play out more times than I’d like:

  • Cyber lead leaves your client data exposed — cue the regulators.
  • BI analyst builds a brittle reporting stack — cue investor questions you can’t answer.
  • Data scientist burns months chasing the wrong metrics — cue strategic misalignment.

These aren’t hypothetical missiles. They’re real. And startups are particularly vulnerable, precisely because they’re building mid-flight.

By the time you notice the impact of a bad hire, the damage is already done.

Why Big Brand Talent Often Fails You

Let’s talk about the elephant in the hiring war room: that shiny CV from Google, Amazon or Palantir? It might be your biggest liability.

Why? Because in a startup or scale-up:

  • Resources are scarce — you can’t count on an army of supporting analysts.
  • There’s no playbook — you have to write the damn thing while running drills.
  • Speed trumps polish — knowing the right answer > building the prettiest dashboard.

I’m not saying Big Tech people can’t thrive in startups. Some do! But they need battlefield instincts, not parachute training. The best startup operators are MacGyvers, not career PowerPoint presenters.

So when hiring, ask yourself: has this person made decisions in ambiguity? Have they solved messy, zero-data problems without a safety net? That’s your real currency.

The Xist4 Recruiting Radar: How We Pick Operators

Here’s how we help our clients avoid hiring missiles-in-disguise:

We pressure-test for trajectory, not just skills

We dig into WHY someone’s made their last 3 career moves. Are they builders or cruisers? Do they seek challenge or comfort? You want operators with upward momentum — not wanderers chasing titles.

We run a 'Chaos Scenario' simulation

We role-play a realistic scale-up crisis: system breach, broken data pipeline, CEO with unrealistic analytics demands. We watch how the candidate reacts, prioritises, communicates. No BS — just signal.

We align on values before tech stacks

Culture-fit isn't ping-pong tables. It’s how someone makes decisions under pressure. We ask: can this person earn trust with founders? Can they push back? Can they translate tech risk into business reality?

If a candidate can’t speak both ‘Python’ and ‘Boardroom’, they’re not ready.

Questions Founders Should Ask Their Hiring Teams

Want to avoid accidental Tomahawk landings? Start with better internal alignment. Here’s your cheat sheet:

  • What’s the actual business problem this hire will solve in the next 90 days?
  • What skills do we need this year — not five years from now?
  • Are we looking for a generalist, a specialist, or a hybrid?
  • How will we measure success after 6 months? Be specific.
  • Who is making the final hiring decision — and do they know what good looks like?

Without these answers, you’re hiring reactively. And that’s when expensive missiles hit.

Final Word: Hire Like Your Business Depends on It

Because it does.

Too many founders treat hiring data and cyber roles as line items. Necessary evils. Technical gaps to plug. But the reality is: the right person in the right data or cyber leadership seat can add millions in enterprise value. Prevent regulatory disaster. Unlock smart M&A. Build trust with investors.

And the wrong one?

Well… You know what a Tomahawk looks like.

If you want help dodging them, you know where to find me.

— Gozie Ezulike, Founder @ Xist4



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