In this episode of Hire Learning, Oz sits down with Ira Birns, Executive Vice President and CFO at World Fuel Services—a Fortune 100 company and one of South Florida’s most respected global brands. With nearly 40 years of financial and leadership experience, Ira unpacks what most hiring managers get wrong when building teams—and why ignoring your “must-haves” in favor of “giving someone a chance” can be a costly mistake.

From growing up in New York and starting as a paperboy to leading global finance teams and driving alignment across 1,000+ employees, Ira brings a wealth of perspective, candor, and wisdom to the conversation. Whether you're hiring your first employee or leading a large enterprise team, this episode is filled with practical, high-level takeaways for smarter leadership and sharper hiring.

You’ll learn:

• Why strong hiring starts with discipline and clarity
• How alignment (or lack of it) derails even the most talented teams
• The small moments in interviews that tell you everything
• How Ira builds trust across global teams—and why it matters more than ever

Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro & Meet Ira Birns

03:10 – From New York to South Florida: A CFO’s Journey

07:45 – Career Pivot: How Ira Got into Finance

13:30 – The First Day Doubt: Imposter Syndrome & Executive Growth

18:55 – Paperboy to Public Company CFO: Early Career Lessons

23:20 – Why Alignment is the Key to Scaled Leadership

27:40 – Keeping 1,000 People Aligned: Ira’s Global Communication Strategy

33:25 – Honoring His Mother Through Leadership & Legacy

39:10 – Ira’s Core Hiring Philosophy (And Why It Works)

42:15 – The #1 Hiring Mistake Most Managers Make

46:00 – Favorite Interview Questions That Uncover the Truth

50:00 – How to Spot a Bad Hire Before It’s Too Late

53:10 – Advice to His 20-Year-Old Self

56:20 – Rapid Fire: Yankees, Paper Routes, and Perspective

This a must-listen for hiring managers, CFOs, and anyone tasked with building and scaling high-performance teams!

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