One of the qualities we look for in all of our hires is adaptability. One is almost guaranteed to have a different job with different tactics than they signed up for, and someone who stubbornly thinks that they can simply one they did yesterday will drown.
Adaptability has a cousin that is just as valuable in a person, and plays an even more important role in the aggregate culture of a company – resiliency.
Any company/team goes through trials and tribulations. In a startup, the peaks and valleys are amplified ten-fold. The sucker-punches could tear a company apart – a missed quarter, low bank balance, employee departure, or worse.
It’s hard to hire for resiliency – even if you could, it has to be put into practice.
Like every early venture, our team has been subject to more than its fair share of rough events. But every time, I’m always amazed by what happens the next morning. We lick our wounds, ask questions, talk openly – and then get back to work.
