Challenging the Status Quo: Lida Manukyan on Brave Hiring, Cultural Curiosity, and Building Impactful Teams

Introduction: Hiring with Depth and Intention

Lida Manukyan, Head of People and Talent at Gaia Fertility and former Head of Talent for Netflix UK, is a talent leader who believes that great hiring is not about ticking boxes—it’s about connecting to something deeper. In this episode of the DexFactor Podcast, Lida shares the lessons she’s learned from years of high-stakes hiring, from championing bold thinkers to navigating cultural nuance. Her approach is thoughtful, patient, and bold—precisely the kind of perspective that speaks to Dex’s mission: helping people and companies do work that truly matters.

When the Long Game Pays Off

Lida’s most memorable hire wasn’t the result of speed—it was the result of persistence. While recruiting for a commissioning role in Netflix’s Nordics team, Lida came across a producer whose creative instincts struck a chord. Though he initially declined her approach, she stayed in touch for over two years, checking in periodically, building rapport, and waiting for the timing to be right. Eventually, it was.

The story is a masterclass in long-term thinking. Great candidates aren’t always ready on your timeline—but staying curious and patient often pays dividends. “There was so much depth to the conversation,” Lida explains. “You start to get a sense for people's creative sensibilities. He stood out.”

Great hires are felt immediately, they challenge the status quo, question our methods, and elevate the team right from the start.

Good vs. Great: The Spark of Day One Impact

What separates a good hire from a great one? For Lida, it’s about early impact. Great hires bring energy, momentum, and fresh thinking from day one. “They question the status quo,” she says. “They push you to think differently, and it instantly elevates how the team operates.”

Lida recalls one such colleague from her time at Netflix who stepped into a role she herself had been managing. “It was hard to hand it off,” she says, “but immediately I could see how sharp her thinking was. She challenged me in all the right ways.”

That’s a hallmark of great hiring: people who don’t just slot in—they raise the bar.

Spotting Potential in the Process

Can you identify those qualities during the hiring process? Lida believes you can. Over time, seasoned recruiters refine how they ask questions and tune into subtle signals. It’s about moving beyond surface-level answers and understanding how candidates think, how they work, and what motivates them.

“You start picking up on it,” Lida notes. “There are glimmers in the interview process if you’re asking the right questions and listening with intention.”

The Hardest Hire: A Cultural Lesson in Listening

One of Lida’s toughest hiring challenges came with a commissioning role in Germany. Despite her experience in U.S.-based hiring processes, she quickly discovered that cultural assumptions didn’t translate. “I expected candidates to sell themselves,” she says. “But in Germany, and in many European countries, that’s not the norm.”

The lesson was humbling and transformational. Lida dove into cultural research, read about local expectations, and adapted her approach. “Someone not selling themselves doesn’t mean they’re not bold or capable,” she reflects. “You just have to meet them where they are.”

That shift eventually led to a stellar hire—someone who continues to lead the German content team at Netflix to this day.

Hiring Under Pressure: Why Fear is a Terrible Recruiter

Lida has a firm warning for teams feeling the pressure to hire quickly: don’t make decisions from a place of fear. “Every bad hire I’ve seen,” she says, “came from a position of desperation.” Whether it’s time pressure, budget constraints, or just the fatigue of a long process, cutting corners rarely works.

The phrase that makes her pause? “We’ll just figure it out in onboarding.” That, she says, is often the first sign of a compromised decision. Instead, she urges teams to hold the line and wait for the right person—even when that’s hard.

Hiring from a place of fear or desperation clouds your judgment. Great decisions come from confidence, not constraints.

Manager Investment Matters

Another red flag? A disengaged hiring manager. Lida notes that when the hiring manager doesn’t truly invest in the process—or worse, shows apathy toward the hire—the results are predictably poor.

“If someone’s going to report to you and you don’t care about their success from day one, how can that relationship thrive?” she asks. She believes strongly in holding hiring managers accountable—to the process, to the candidate experience, and to showing up as real partners in recruitment.

Bravery Wanted: What Gaia Looks for in Candidates

At Gaia, Lida and her team value curiosity, boldness, and bravery. One of the company’s values is “when in doubt, be brave”—a principle that speaks to the need for action over endless analysis.

Lida wants to see candidates who’ve taken risks, challenged convention, and made big bets—especially when the odds were against them. “I love it when people go against the grain,” she says. “Challenge is energizing. That’s the kind of energy we need.”

A Case Study in Courage

She recalls a recent hire in the U.S. who embodies this value perfectly. Joining to lead Gaia’s provider network, this new team member came in with confidence, deep expertise, and a strong point of view. “From day one, she said, ‘This is the strategy. Here’s what we’re doing.’”

That kind of clarity, Lida notes, has already driven tangible results. “She’s signed so many clinics since she joined,” Lida says. “We’ve learned so much from her.”

Balancing Listening and Leading

There’s nuance here, of course. While Lida values immediate impact, she also believes in balance. The best candidates come in curious, ask thoughtful questions, and learn before making assumptions. But they don’t wait three months to add value.

“Don’t just sit on your hands for 90 days,” she laughs. “The best people observe, learn, and then speak up. They move with both humility and urgency.”

Offer Accepted? Take a Breath

When a candidate receives a job offer, Lida urges them to pause and reflect. “Trace it back to the first touchpoint,” she says. “Think about every conversation, every person you’ve met—what’s the story those interactions are telling you?”

She also believes in having a confidant—someone who knows you well and can help gut-check your decision. “We all get emotional,” she says. “You need someone who will keep it real with you.”

Negotiation Done Right

If the offer isn’t quite what you hoped, Lida’s advice is simple: negotiate thoughtfully and with data. “Don’t just ask for more money—explain why,” she says. “What’s the market rate? What are you bringing that justifies this? Come prepared.”

Importantly, she stresses that a respectful, honest conversation never hurts. “If you don’t ask, you don’t get,” she says. “The worst they can say is no.”

A Word to Hiring Managers: You Get What You Give

Lida holds high expectations for hiring managers. “The quality of the hire is directly proportional to how much effort the hiring manager puts into the process,” she says. Disengagement leads to weak hires—or worse, fast exits.

From preparing thoughtful briefs to showing up fully in interviews, Lida expects managers to bring their best. “We’re not just assessing candidates—they’re assessing us. Show up.”

What Candidates Should Know: We’re on Your Side

Finally, Lida wants candidates to remember one simple truth: recruiters want you to succeed. “We’re rooting for you,” she says. “We want to fill the role, and we want to find the right person. We’re on your team.”

That mindset shift changes everything. It builds trust. It invites openness. And it sets the tone for a human, transparent hiring process—something Dex champions at every step.

Remember, recruiters and hiring managers are rooting for you. We want you to succeed, we want you to be the one.

Conclusion: Brave Hiring, Better Futures

Lida’s approach to hiring is thoughtful, emotionally intelligent, and fearless. She challenges hiring managers to be better partners. She champions candidates who bring boldness and clarity. And she isn’t afraid to unlearn what she thought she knew in order to meet people where they are.

For anyone building a team—or thinking about joining one—this conversation is packed with gold. It reminds us that great hiring takes courage, curiosity, and a willingness to challenge the norms.

And at Dex, that’s exactly the kind of energy we’re here to celebrate.