It is non-mainstream wording but is actually a very common phrasing. Here’s more from that article: ““You know, they may have to slit some throats, and it’s a lot harder to do that if these are people that you’ve trained with in the past or that, you know. So we’re going to have somebody out there, you know, be very firm, very strong, but they are going to make sure that we have the best people in the best positions. and there’s not going to be necessarily prior relationships that would cloud that judgment,” he added.”
When you are explaining and qualifying, you are losing.
This guy is just a terrible candidate.