hire the smartest, nicest, get-stuff-done-ist people in the world. then your company will be unstoppable
it is a simple formula:
Great Person = Super Smart + Massively Productive + Nice
1. Hire people that are scary smart
2. Hire people that get tones of stuff done
3. Hire people that are nice (nice people are undervalued)
I’ve worked at lots of places that operated under this philosophy. But what do you do when the people in charge don’t fulfill all three? I’ll tell you what’s undervalued: management that knows how to enable people instead of getting in their way.
I agree on the “nice people are undervalued” point. As the communications person at our startup being nice is my job, but I’d like to think it’s a part of my personality as well. I try to kill people with kindness, and it always turns out better than if I had reacted negatively to a situation. Oh, and it’s much easier to get developers to work with you when you bring them cookies.
This is really good stuff. The NICE factor is so important. Although I may challenge the equation as summing these attributes means you could excel in one area with shortfalls in the others and still be a Great Person.
I would say that Great Person = (Super Smart + Massively Productive) * Nice
Super Smart and Massively Productive are critical variables that can not be ignored. The part that is overlooked is NICE which can exponentially increase the impact of the critical variables on your company but can’t directly increase the greatness of a person on it’s own.
Very good point Mims!
Erin: I love cookies. If you need a taste-tester, please send them my way.
I would add: hire the smartest, nicest, get-stuff-done-ist people in the world and pay him/she well
Well said. Our president’s motto is “Be Nice”, and he credits that with the success of our company. I’d have to agree.