Startups: Hire the Wisest, Not the Smartest
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As an early stage startup, each member of the team significantly affects the company’s survivability and long-term viability. The earlier stage a startup is in, the more essential it is that every person can be relied upon to carry their own weight. While the fundamental roles a person is expected to play at a startup can be explicitly stated, early team members are forced to nimbly juggle unforeseen issues, typically with a great deal of autonomy and discretion. When viewed from a macro-perspective, you don’t want the cleverest business development guy or smartest engineer, but a team-member who demonstrates remarkably good judgment. Sure, they should be capable of performing essential job functions, but without good judgment their involvement can have a deleterious effect on a rapidly changing company.