Look for misfits who complement each other. Illustration by Robert Andre from the book 101 Design Ingredients to Solve Big Tech Problems — by Eewei Chen.

Ingredient 13. Build an A-Team

An excerpt from 101 Design Ingredients to Solve Big Tech Problems — by Eewei Chen

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The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.

— John Wooden, basketball coach

The Problem

It’s hard to find people with the right skills to deliver what you need.

The Solution

Pull together the best team you can. Work together to improve quality, trust, and industry expertise.

• Look for volunteers. Find people who want to be involved, are self-motivated, and are hungry to prove themselves. For instance, Zappos pays employees to quit, but not many do — it’s a great way to test and keep only the staff members who genuinely want to stay.[35]
• Give and take feedback. Trust team members to do what’s necessary, but be aware of their responsibilities, too. Challenge new teams to give constructive feedback about each other’s roles until it is crystal-clear there are no skill or procedural gaps. Set the right expectations when you hire people, and make sure your entire team is aware of what has been agreed upon to avoid any confusion later on.[36]
• Train as a team. Run team-building exercises to build trust and foster a spirit of collaboration. These exercises will help the team solve problems, better understand each other, and agree how best to work more creatively and efficiently.

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101 Design Ingredients to Solve Big Tech Problems