Is recognizing your kryptonite essential to joining your team?

Knowing your kryptonite

Knowing your kryptonite is essential to building your team.

I think that's truly the essential part,because, as I said before,teamwork implies a lot, especially if people are committed,and genuinely try in their day-to-day to bring the values, the principles, that people should have, or that we think we should have,but that, in one way or another, come together as a team.

I think that's the hardest part for us,often having to recruit,understand the people we need, when we need them,what's important for the company, ultimately, for the project but also whether those people will contribute to the team.

Maybe the hardest part is during the selection process, when,in 45 minutes or an hour, you have to get to know the person.

At this point, my interviews are usually at the final stage,the person already has the skills, the experience,the knowledge needed for the job,and that's key, because my team manages it very well,the recruitment team and the others from my team who interview candidates.

And when it gets to me, it's my turn to make the final assessment,whether the person, among all their qualities,and regarding the mission, in this case, Bolt's,if the person fits in my team, with the people they will work with.

Because people can be at different stages in their career,and for some reason, along our curve,even if the person is great, they might not fit in.

That's the big challenge: to figure out, in those 45 minutes,if they are the right person, and what they're made of.

And I think that's when I usually tell the story that,In all my interviews, I always end up asking one question,I tell the candidate, "If you were lucky enough to play the role of God,and you could give Him one personal quality,which one and why?" And usually, they get a bit thrown off,because they're ready for every kind of question,but they're not ready to talk about themselves, that's really what it is.

And I think that's essential, because it's through that question and that answer that we're able to understand whether everything said before,about the day-to-day,about their last performance review,where the person shows a bit of their struggles,their big wins and their failures,if they know themselves and are able to be vulnerable,to the point of admitting there's something they'd like to have and that would make them happier.

Because, after all, I think that ability to acknowledge that...

We know that tough moments will come,because it's not always good times, and in those bad ones,if that person will be able to know exactly where they need help,and for me to know how I can help them too.

This matter of leading people has a lot to do with our ability,as leaders, to know people and be able to help them.

People weren't born to work,but through work they gain recognition and achieve big things,and it's through work that sometimes we're able to do things that truly fulfill us in a different way.

But for that, in my opinion, and I think it's what makes it possible to build a dynamic where everyone,as far as possible,shares the same values.

And in my case, I usually say that...Commitment, honesty, and compassion must always be non-negotiable.

More so in bad times.Some people find it harder to show vulnerability,others find it easier to want to encourage and motivate someone,others not so much, they're more individual, less capable of that,in a way, it's not bad, as those traits are more focused,so they can teach others to focus more effectively.

I think it's about that dynamic, understanding we need to place people in the best places,because the fit isn't just with the company, but also the person:they have to do something that fulfills them in a way,and accept that they have their weaknesses,but that it shouldn't ever be a condition for success.

If that dynamic really exists and we're all there to help.