Would you hire yourself? This question is actually a powerful tool to help you make better hiring decisions. As a company grows, each additional hire has a disproportionate impact, and a bad hire can set the company back significantly. Asking if you would hire yourself is a technique used by hiring managers like myself, inspired by Andy Grove's approach. It helps focus your mind on three critical factors: empathy for the candidate, hiring for potential, and setting a realistic bar. By asking this question, you can reset your brain, consider the people who gave you breaks in your career, and think about the trajectory of your ideal candidate rather than their current state. This simple question can help you make better hires and avoid making decisions based on unrealistic expectations.