I was so impressed by Keith Rabois clarity of thinking on hiring for startups, that I wanted to share this with everyone. Below is an excerpt from a transcript of his talk at the First Round Capital CEO Summit 2013.
I really believe having an amazing idea is great, however the key lies in bringing that idea to the world, its not about funding, its about hiring the right people (I personally don’t like the word talent, you know where they started using the word “talent” first….). Discovering the undiscovered gems, the people who have not come into their super power yet.
I think Keith nails it on the head, some of the qualities of these undiscovered talents.
The candidate can relay incredibly complex ideas in simple terms.
The candidate can see things you don’t see. Even within topics you’re fluent in, they’re able to convince you of new points of view or make you realize you’re missing something.
They’re relentlessly resourceful. There should be things in their history, whether it’s on or off the résumé, which conveys that they’re able to make things happen, against all odds. If there is a wall in their way, they’ll go over it, under it or become friends with it. They just make things happen and leave you wowed. Any time you have that “Wow!” kind of feeling you need to just hire the person.
They’re often contrarian. Peter Thiel now has a popularized way of figuring this out. He asks, “Explain something that you believe, that everybody else believes is wrong.”
I remember back in 2005 when I was in the process of opening my first Wag Hotels in Sacramento, I really needed someone who knew about dogs and cats, not a dog whisper, or someone who loved and committed to animal and their cause, but someone who understood how to keep animals healthy (and happy) in a cage (said kind of ruthlessly).
I knew that me and my co-founder Joel, knew a lot of business world, branding, marketing, technology. We also were bringing different ideas from other industries to the kennel business, transforming them into doggy hotels. But we did not have someone who knew and could be our partners in creating the future of dog hotels.
By chance I met Jose. I had gone to the Sacramento Animal Control Center to do a meet and greet. And Jose gave me a tour. His passion for animals was evident, but more I could see a passion for the process, and tools to keep the place clean. He was maybe 23, and had a degree from UC Davis, and was making maybe minimum wages.
Jose was it. I met him for lunch the next week and hired him on the spot. He grew up on a farm, loved all animals, and was behind the success of creating Wag Hotels. Given the freedom to run a 35,000 sqft facility, create processes, train people, he created the healthiest place to leave your dogs and cats - he is and was the soul behind Wag Hotels.
I could not have articulated hiring the way Keith articulated, now its distinguished I have more clarity on hiring.
The full link to the article Keith Rabois on the role of a COO how to hire and why transparency matters http://firstround.com/article/Keith-Rabois-on-the-role-of-a-COO-how-to-hire-and-why-transparency-matters?awesm=frc.vc_a0V&utm_medium=frc.vc-twitter&utm_content=awesm-publisher&utm_source=t.co&utm_campaign=
