This PowerPoint helps students to consider the concept of infinity.
Startup Secrets - Hiring A+ Talent
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START UP
SECRETS
An insider’s guide to unfair competitive advantage
Company Formation: Hiring A+ Talent
@underscorevc startupsecrets.com
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The most important capital = human capital
You are what you hire
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Why is this important?
startupsecrets.com@underscorevc
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A’s hire A’s
B’s hire C’s
C’s = Cost you your company
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Hire above your grade, never below
startupsecrets.com@underscorevc
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Making the wrong hire
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When you make the wrong hire and lose people, you lose…
What they know
Who they know
$25.05B/year in costs associated with knowledge loss from just 1% of employees
As a startup, your organization risks disorganization The MIT Sloan Review
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Assess 3 key things…
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EKS IQ
CQ
Attitude
Aptitude
Ability
Can they be successful at the job?
Will they really love the job?
Will they fit and reinforce?
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Can they be successful at the job?
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Do they have the EKS:
• Experience
• Knowledge
• Skills
And where applicable, the IQ
• Intelligence
• Smarts
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Will they really love the job?
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Can you find people’s passion?
• If people love what they do, they tend to do it well
• If they do it well, they tend to be successful
Can you
• Find a fit for what they love to do?
• Set them up for success?
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My first interview question?
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What are you passionate about?
sometimes my ONLY question!
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Will they really love the job?
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Uncover
their
Passion
Love it
Do
Well
Success
Reward
People who are really passionate about their work
tend to love what they do, take pride in it, and the
results and rewards all follow.
This creates a self reinforcing
positive virtuous cycle of success
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It doesn’t have to all be about work…
“I never did a day’s work in my life. It was all fun.”
ThomasA. Edison
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Another revealing question?
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What would you choose to do if
today was your last day of work?
sometimes my ONLY question!
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Hiring is more than a science…
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Beyond, EKS, IQ…
Think about what will set someone up for success in your situation / team /
organization
• Street smarts vs. Book smarts?
• Judgment vs. Intellect?
• Effort vs. Ability?
Think about how to find a FIT…
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EQ: Emotional Quotient
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Inter-personal skills, connections & relationships are vital in a startup
3 Examples:
• “Speed teaming”
Form and re-form rapidly – e.g. around problem solving
Cross functional and interdisciplinary teams often best
• Customer intimacy
Often vital in product development, support etc.
• Leverage: building relationships with key stakeholders
Shareholders – for strong investor support
Suppliers – for faster time to market
Partners – for leveraging other’s capabilities
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Startup Secret: Hire for EQ, CQ
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EKS: Experience, Knowledge, Skills
IQ: Intelligence Quotient
EQ: Emotional Quotient
• Fit with your team etc
CQ: Cultural Quality
• Fit with your values etc
“the fit between personalities was so much more important
than just finding people who were very good”
Dick Costolo, Former CEO Twitter
Wasserman, Noam (2012-03-25). The Founder's Dilemmas: Anticipating and Avoiding the Pitfalls That Can Sink a Startup
(Kauffman Foundation Series on Innovation and Entrepreneurship) (p. 216). Princeton University Press
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Example Interview Questions
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IQ
• What is the most relevant experience, knowledge or skill you bring to this job?
• What is your favorite example of a problem you’ve solved, and how did you solve it?
EQ
• What are you most proud of in your work interactions?
• What is it that you relate to in our company?
CQ
• What do you value most?
• What have you most enjoyed in your previous jobs?
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Startup Secret: Hire for EQ, CQ do QC
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EKS: Experience, Knowledge, Skills
IQ: Intelligence Quotient
EQ: Emotional Quotient
• Fit with your team etc
CQ: Cultural Quality
• Fit with your values etc
QC: Quality Control
• Is each hire additive or dilutive to your culture?
• Is each hire multiplying or dividing your culture
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Hiring A+ Players
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What does that really mean?
How can you apply it in practice?
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Startup Secret: Hire 3As
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Attitude
Aptitude
Ability
Note: Ability – is really the broader sense suitability for the job
Attitude
Aptitude
Ability
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Startup Secret: Hire 3As, 3+s
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+ Aware (self)
+ Authentic
+ Athlete
Attitude
Aptitude
Ability
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3 key things lead to the “Golden Traingle”
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EKS IQ
CQ
Attitude
Aptitude
Ability
Can they be successful at the job?
Will they really love the job?
Will they fit and reinforce?
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The tools
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EKS IQ
CQ
Attitude
Aptitude
Ability
EKS
• Resume
Interviews
IQ
• Proof, e.g.
Problem solving
• e.g. engineers – code
CQ
• Interactions, observation
Trust the process
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Summary
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EKS, IQ = can they be successful at the job?
• Check with REAL references
CQ, EQ (Cultural Quality) = will they fit & reinforce?
• Do QC (Quality Control) for additive vs. dilutive to your culture
Uncover their Passion = will they really love the job?
• Separate from needs
Golden Triangle = all the above and A+ players:
• Look for 3As: Attitude, Aptitude, Ability
+++ Aware, Authentic, Athlete
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add whole foods
340
Unique digital experiences built on a common
Drupal platform – empower store managers
to personalize their store site
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Acquia Hiring
Acquia DNA
Committed to Awesome
Do the Right Thing
Jump In and Own It
Give Back More
Inspire a Little Crazy
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Tip 1: Hiring known quantities…
Just hire people you know & have worked well with in past?
YES
• proven teaming, fit
“startups that relied relatively heavily on the founders’ personal
networks received valuations that were 37% higher than those
received by startups that barely tapped the founders’ networks”
-Wasserman
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Tip 1: Hiring known quantities…
Just hire people you know & have worked well with in past?
YES
• proven teaming, fit
NO
• every situation is different
“vs. it worked like this in the past!”
• diversity of background can be good
“think different”
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Tip 2: Balance youth and experience
Youth or Experience? YES!
Youth what’s possible?
+
Experience what to consider
=
Success balance
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Cultural Quality (CQ) Questions
What are you passionate about?
• What is the most fun you’ve ever had?
(Intentionally open to understand work / life passions / balance)
What have you most enjoyed in your previous jobs?
What do you love doing day-to-day?
(What would an ideal day look like?)
If you could have changed one thing at your previous/current job, what
would it be?
(Also - listen for why the person didn’t change it)
What is it you think you’ll enjoy most about this job?
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Cultural Quality (CQ) Questions
Aspirations
What do you aspire to in life?
• How are you pursuing them?
What do you want or feel you need to learn?
• (To achieve those aspirations)
• (Listen for difference between want and need)
What legacy do you hope to leave?
• (What do you hope to be remembered for ?)
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Cultural Quality (CQ) Questions
Values
What values do you believe in?
• How do you live those values?
What do you value most?
Personalize remaining questions for your values
• (e.g. What does Trust mean to you?)
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Cultural Quality (CQ) Questions
Other
What does balance mean to you in your life?
What else do you love about you life?
• (Listen for consistency in outside interests with answers regarding work ethics, style etc.)
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Cultural Quality (CQ) Questions
For Managers:
What does management mean to you?
• (e.g. What is the role of management?)
What environment do you like to create?
How do you like to be treated?
• (Compare with answer to previous question)
Who comes first, your customer or your team?
Do you judge by effort or results?
What do you celebrate/reward?
What do you trust and what do you verify?
If you were hiring me for this job, what other questions would you ask of
me?
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Emotional Quotient (EQ) Questions
What do people think of you?
• How accurate is their perception?
How do you feel you still need to develop personally? (Look for self
respect and yet self awareness)
What work relationships are you most proud of and why?
What are examples of work interactions you are most proud of and why?
What have you learned from your best and worst work relationships?
What is it that you relate to in our company?
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Emotional Quotient (EQ) Questions
For Managers
How would people describe your management style?
• (Compare with the CQ manager answers)
How do you like to be treated?
• (Consistent with how you treat others?)
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Intelligence Quotient (IQ) Questions
NOTE: there are many sources of these and they need to be specific to the job. Try to find
practical instantiations and real world tests.
What is the most relevant Experience, Knowledge or Skill (EKS) you
bring to the job?
How do you experiment?
In your previous role(s), what did you learn, prove and act on?
What are examples of problems that arose and where did they lead you?
What is your favorite example of a problem you’ve solved, and how did
you solve it?
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3 Steps to discern 3 things…
3 steps
1. Questioning
2. Listening
3. Observing
Can you hear and separate what your candidate
• needs ?
• wants ?
• loves ?
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My purely personal tips…
Agree your agenda
• “Get to know you” first
(You are looking for CQ, EQ)
• Then evaluate IQ
Break down EKS
Help the interviewee get comfortable and enable them to be authentic
If necessary take them for a walk or get out of the office
Leave time to be questioned
• Learn from what is asked of you
In the real world you’d iterate
Today we’re going to do a workshop to allow you to build a value proposition
For (target customers—beachhead segment only)
Who are dissatisfied with (the current market alternative)
Our product is a (new product category)
That provides (key problem-solving capability).
Unlike (the product alternative),
We have assembled (key whole product features for your specific application).
Moore, Geoffrey A. (2009-03-17). Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Technology Project (p. 154). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
For (target customers—beachhead segment only)
Who are dissatisfied with (the current market alternative)
Our product is a (new product category)
That provides (key problem-solving capability).
Unlike (the product alternative),
We have assembled (key whole product features for your specific application).
Moore, Geoffrey A. (2009-03-17). Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Technology Project (p. 154). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
EG
Silicon Graphics in Hollywood
For post-production film engineers
Who are dissatisfied with the limitations of traditional film editors
Our workstation is a digital film editor That lets you modify film images any way you choose.
Unlike workstations from Sun, HP, or IBM, We have assembled all the interfaces needed for post-production film editing.
Moore, Geoffrey A. (2009-03-17). Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Technology Project (p. 154). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
In the real world you’d iterate
Today we’re going to do a workshop to allow you to build a value proposition
Customer problem or need
In the real world you’d iterate
Today we’re going to do a workshop to allow you to build a value proposition
In the real world you’d iterate
Today we’re going to do a workshop to allow you to build a value proposition
Agile – Warner is a great example – Warner has over 250 artist web pages, one is David Bowie – pretty well known artist, and his agent called Warner on a Friday and said they wanted to release a new song, his first new song in about 10 years. Over a handful of days, his page was ready to go, launched, successful, no crashes, comerce component to purchase the song worked great.
Resilient – MTA serves millions of New York area residents, providing critical information – but during storms and other emergencies, the system was incapable of delivering rich content, either the system crashed or was reduced to simple text pages. Using Acquia’s cloud offerings and Drupal based web architecture, during Sandy they could handle over 30K requests per second. Didn’t crash, quick, responsive, over multiple modalities
Taking all the content that Whole Foods has, integrating it into one architecture, but allowing amazing personalization.