One of the neat aspects of my job is building out the team around me. Hiring individuals for some people is stressful, but not for me. I enjoy it. It’s a great opportunity to discover great people who can help make a major difference, and to identify individuals who may be diamonds in the rough. Some quick thoughts on it.

My philosophy is to buildaround skillsets and chemistry. I think the latter is often forgotten about, or thought about secondarily, and I think that’s a big mistake. I think building for and not disrupting team chemistry is just as important as hiring people who have the right skillsets. The hiring process might take a little longer, but the results pay dividends.

I’ve made mistakes in hiring that I’ve learned from. I’ve hired the best “available” candidate in the past rather than waiting for a better field. I’ve hired individuals with tremendous skillsets but who acted entitled or were not great team players. Needless to say, hindsight is 20/20, and why I cannot overstate the importance of considering both skillset and chemistry.

So far we’ve been extremely methodical in building the team here, and it seems like we’re on the right track. I’m excited to see how it continues to develop and grow.

-Alex