Hire for Character and Train for Capability with Jenny Nail

Hire for Character and Train for Capability with Jenny Nail, Chief Commercial Officer at CRH Americas Building Products

What separates great organizations from the rest? According to Jenny Nail, it starts with hiring people for who they are—not just what they know.

In this episode of the People-First Builders Podcast, Fletcher Wimbush sits down with Jenny Nail, Chief Commercial Officer at CRH Americas Building Products, to explore how people-first leadership has shaped her remarkable career—from a college student working at Home Depot to leading commercial strategy for one of North America's largest building products companies.

Jenny shares why character outweighs credentials, how small moments during the hiring process reveal a candidate's true potential, and why organizations must continuously create growth opportunities if they want to retain exceptional people. She also discusses the importance of staying connected to frontline employees, learning from hiring mistakes, and building cultures where curiosity, collaboration, and customer obsession thrive.

Whether you're hiring your next employee or leading a growing organization, this episode offers practical insights into building stronger teams that last.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why character should be evaluated alongside technical skills
• How micro-interactions reveal the best hiring insights
• The value of creating growth opportunities through lateral career moves
• Why leaders should regularly spend time with frontline employees
• How to improve hiring by learning from both successes and failures
• Why customer obsession starts with putting people first

🎧 Listen now and discover why the best organizations hire for character and develop capability.