What "The Best" Looks Like

a month ago

The article discusses the challenge of hiring 'the best' talent for startups, questioning the conventional wisdom that only top-tier candidates ensure success.
It highlights the story of David, a non-traditional hire with no prior ops experience who excelled, illustrating that 'the best' may not fit standard profiles.
The author identifies 11 universal traits of great startup hires, including non-obviousness, hunger, humility, high EQ, and tolerance of uncertainty.
Key traits for startup success include being not-too-junior and not-too-senior, emphasizing the importance of mid-stage contributors with solid experience and growth potential.
Hunger and humility are underscored as critical, with great hires being self-driven, eager to learn, and able to admit faults and learn from failures.
High EQ and team-centricity are essential for collaboration in fast-paced, uncertain startup environments.
Competence is assumed if the hiring process is robust, with a focus on high-agency problem-solvers who proactively address challenges.
Cross-disciplinary empathy allows hires to anticipate and address needs across different areas of the business, enhancing efficiency.
Tolerance of uncertainty is vital, as startups require flexibility and the ability to pivot quickly without all the information.
The article concludes that hiring 'the best' is about finding individuals who enhance the team dynamically, not just those with impressive credentials.

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