Leadership / Management Tip

When looking to hire and add talent to your team, the following six (6) categories of characteristics are the most important:

1. integrity, authenticity, trust, and respect
2. good will, big heart, self-awareness, and situational awareness
3. supportive, collaborative, and team player
4. lifelong learner, adaptable, and innovative
5. hardworking, focused, strategic, and results-oriented
6. specialized knowledge, skills, and experience relevant to the job

The order of the above item is indeed important, and notice that specialized knowledge and skills for the job are the last category to consider, after all the others are met.

(1) Integrity, authenticity, trust, and respect
These represent universal core values, without which, no other qualities matter. Some consider integrity to be the most important. Having integrity and striving to do what is right is innate for some people, while others learn these values over a very long period of time. In general, and unfortunately, it is difficult to teach someone to be ethical and have integrity. Having a strong moral compass is essential to ensure that your team will always strive to be ethical, honest, truthful, fair, objective, and equitable. If you have any doubts about a candidate's integrity, move on. If you have any doubts that a candidate will always be honest, truthful, fair, objective, or equitable, move on.

Similarly, authenticity, honesty, and truthfulness are essential to building strong, collaborative, inclusive, and productive teams. Respect and trust are also essential, and those who do not see value in these core values will do much to damage the culture of your organization. Authentic individuals interacting within a mutually respectful environment, establish the foundation for developing trust, and trusting partnerships and collaborations.

(2) Good will, big heart, self-awareness, and situational awareness
These are universal leadership qualities. We all want to be surrounded by people with a desire to do good, to do the right thing, to be considerate of others, to mentor and help others. We would like to have colleagues who are humble, empathetic, open-minded, positive, optimistic, compassionate, and conscientious. We would like colleagues who have a high level of emotional intelligence, and are selfless, caring, and helpful. We want colleagues who are calm and even-keeled. We want our colleagues to be encouraging, and enthusiastic, and take joy in the collective accomplishments of the team. These individuals bring a special bond to the team, serve as role models, and encourage others to remain committed to the collective good of the community.

(3) Supportive, collaborative, and team player
The attributes are needed to unite the team to work together and move toward a common vision and purpose. We would like to work with individuals who are good partners, collaborative, supportive, and helpful. We would like our coworkers to be present and engaged, and contribute to the collective work of the team. We want coworkers who combine their experience and wisdom with a true desire to partner with and mentor others. All these qualities are essential to forming highly functional and productive teams.

(4) Lifelong learner, adaptable, and innovative
These attributes are needed to stay ahead of today's busy work and look to the future. Natural curiosity, desire to constantly learn and understand new phenomena, and lifelong learning habits are essential prerequisites to success in any field. These habits, coupled with a tenacity to be adaptable and embracing of change, set the stage for innovation and forward-thinking paradigm shifts.

(5) Hardworking, focused, strategic, and results-oriented
These attributes are needed to get the work done. There is no substitute for hard work. Intelligence (all nine types), talent, natural aptitude, dexterity, and other innate advantages are good starting points, but they are not enough to help individuals persevere through difficult times, hardships, and failures. Only strategic, focused, and results-oriented hard work will allow your team to excel during good times and persist through challenging times.

(6) Specialized knowledge, skills, and experience relevant to the job
Naturally, if the role requires very specialized knowledge, training, and skills (e.g., airline pilot, cardiac surgeon, skydiving instructor, cybersecurity specialist, etc.), it is imperative that you hire someone who possesses the requisite knowledge, training, and skills. But remember to consider this after the candidate has met all of the other characteristics noted above. No amount of expertise or genius can compensate for a lack of integrity and moral compass, good will and empathy, collaborative nature and collegiality, curiosity and adaptability, and hard work.