This post is primarily applicable to startup hiring, but it is a simple heuristic that's hopefully helpful to any hiring manager in the world.

There are two ways to run a hiring process.

Once you have a shortlist of candidates who qualify for the role/opening at hand (let's call them the potential "Yes" candidates).

(a) You can put these candidates through an interview process with the mindset that it is a "Yes", unless one of the interviewers/panelists raises concerns or a flag that turns that candidate into a "No" candidate.

Or

(b) You can put these candidates through an interview process with the mindset that it is a "No", unless every interviewer/panelist comes back with a positive reaction that turns the candidate into a "Yes" candidate.

Most companies/hiring managers go through process (a), whereas I recommend process (b). At startups, where every employee signs up for a tough set of asks and a steep growth curve, the hard reality is that there's no room for doubt.

I've made wrong hires and learned my lessons. As I did, I also noticed that CEOs never hire because no one on the panel said "No", they only hire if everyone on the panel gave an emphatic "Yes". 

False Positives are expensive for companies (false negatives are a regret cost - much lower).

So flip that switch. Hire like a CEO.

You'll thank me forever.