Hire right, because the penalties for hiring wrong are huge.

Hiring the wrong people can have big consequences: money lost in the hiring process, training, etc. There also intangible costs: loss of morale and diminishing of standards.

1. Match the person to the design.

   1. Think through which values, abilities, and skills you are looking for (in that order).
   2. Make finding the right people systematic and scientific.
      … as opposed to having semi-random people that make decisions based on resumes.
   3. Hear the click: Find the right fit between the role and the person.
   4. Don’t use your pull to get someone a job.
      Everyone must earn it first.

2. Remember that people are built very differently and that different ways of seeing and thinking make people suitable for different jobs.

   1. Understand how to use and interpret personality assessments.
   2. Remember that people tend to pick people like themselves, so choose interviewers who can identify what you are looking for.
   3. Look for people who are willing to look at themselves objectively.
   4. Remember that people typically don’t change all that much.

3. Think of your teams the way that sports managers do.
   No one person possesses everything required to produce success, yet everyone must excel.

4. Pay attention to people’s track records.

   1. Check references.
   2. Recognize that performance in school doesn’t tell you much about whether a person has the values and abilities you are looking for.
   3. While it’s best to have great conceptual thinkers, understand that great experience and a great track record also count for a lot.
   4. Beware of the impractical idealist.
   5. Don’t assume that a person who has been successful elsewhere will be successful in the job you’re giving them.
   6. Make sure your people have character and are capable.

5. Don’t hire people just to fit the first job they will do.
   Hire people you want to share your life with.

   1. Look for people who have lots of great questions.
   2. Show candidates your warts.
      Show your job prospects the real picture, especially the bad stuff.

6. When considering compensation, provide both stability and opportunity.

   1. Pay for the person, not the job.
   2. Have performance metrics tied at least loosely to compensation?
   3. Pay north of fair.

7. Remember that in great partnerships, consideration and generosity are more important than money.
   You want to have people that respond to generosity, instead of those who respond to money. Treat them with generosity, and they will respond.

8. Make sure you do everything to keep great people.
   They are very difficult to find.