‘Competence’ at their designated responsibility is the first quality we look for in a leader.
But a critical ingredient is also ‘Character’. Does a prospective leader naturally resonate with the mission, values, and culture of the organization?
Another is ‘Commitment’: Are they willing to sacrifice significantly in terms of their time and their optimal earning capacity to co-create a successful venture?
Hey, we didn’t plan to have three C’s but here we are Competence, Character, Commitment.
But there are additional points we look for in People.
Transparency: We want people who have the courage to share their views directly and frankly. And take a stand. We don’t like people who are double-faced and try to be all things to everyone.
Positive Orientation: We like people who count and appreciate their blessings even as they criticize the problems. We don’t want people who wallow in needless negativity.
High-energy: We’re a high-performance, high-expectation, high-sacrifice (both personal and professional) setup. Like every venture that hopes to succeed.
We like people who are Self-critical, with a Kaizen mindset. We’re always looking to see what we can do better, not constantly looking back at what we have done. Or what others have NOT done.
We absolutely want people who are Emotionally Mature. For instance? Well, people who are not over-sensitive to criticism. Who doesn’t always seek praise and affirmation for the most minor of achievements?
We require people who are Emotionally Resilient. Why? Because of the expectation of performance ratchets up with every month and year. We can’t rest on past achievements or reputation. Also, high-intensity environments create an appropriate degree of friction that compels us to perform out of our comfort zone. So, we need people who’re willing to soak in pressure.
Intensity: We believe in a happy, balanced life [Why do you think we chose to be based in Goa?] But we need people who are occasionally (promise, only occasionally) are willing to start earlier, sleep later, work the odd weekend…
Reflexively Communicate. We’ll reach a boiling point if we keep simmering silently with resentment. Therefore, we want people to be reflexively transparent and communicative.
Yes, only a fraction of every hundred potential entrepreneurial leaders will be aligned with our preferences. But that fractional catchment is enough for us.