01
People
What I hire for, and a hiring pipeline that never stops.
Skills can be taught. These five attributes mostly can't. They're part of a person's character, personality, even their DNA, so they're what I look for first. They're the same for product managers, designers, and engineers.
AffablePeople you want to be around. They're kind, quick to smile, and slow to judge. They're engaging and generally happy, with a light about them. People gravitate to them, and you have a good feeling about them as a human.
SharpAnother kind of light: intelligence. They observe quickly, they're inquisitive, and they grasp new information and principles fast and put them to work.
Empathy and emotional intelligenceThey actively imagine how others feel, put themselves in someone else's place, and work to understand. They know their own faults and are proactive about improving. They're open, not closed.
Proven skillsA portfolio or history of clear success in their craft, which we also verify with a project we give them and assess.
Driven to excellence and outcomesThey're obsessed with getting better at what they do and with the value they create. They sweat the details and the delivered, adopted, verifiable value of their work. They love feedback and confirmation of outcomes.
Always be hiring
Hiring is never perfect, so we never stop interviewing.
We should always be striving for 10xers. People can grow into one, or arrive as one. As AI takes over more of the work, the value of a person who isn't operating at that level keeps dropping. So I plan for it: always have people in the queue, ready to join.
This is a concept I have adapted from some of the principles outlined by Tony Hsieh in the book Delivering Happiness. Read Tony Hsieh on the Pipeline concept.
Check-ins at 30, 60, and 90 daysI don't hire expecting someone to stay for years. Every new hire has 30, 60, and 90-day check-ins, and they need to show they're 10xing. If they aren't, we rotate them out and bring another candidate in. You don't fully know what you're getting until they're in the work.
Leveling up, or replacingAnyone not operating at the 10x level can level up. I give them 30, 60, or 90 days to do it, depending on the situation. If they can't, we replace them.
Slipping outputPeople can decline in output and outcomes over time. When they do, they may need a performance improvement plan.
Always interviewingEven with no open positions, we keep interviewing and reorder the prioritized list. We tell candidates: we want to work with you, and we'll let you know as soon as we have a spot.