Faced with rejection in a high-pressure interview for not being "tough enough," Steve Garrity shared his cancer survival story. This unexpected move completely reframed the interviewer's perception of his resilience and grit, ultimately securing him the job. It demonstrates how strategic vulnerability can be a powerful tool to counter professional challenges.

To hire for traits over background, Mark Kosaglo suggests testing for coachability directly. Run a skill-based roleplay (e.g., discovery), provide specific feedback, and then run the exact same roleplay again. The key is to see if the candidate can actually implement the coaching, not just if they are open to receiving it.

Investors should view a founder's desire to learn skills like etiquette not as a weakness, but as a strong positive signal. It demonstrates humility, introspection, and a drive for self-improvement—key traits for a coachable and successful leader. The capacity for growth can be more valuable than pre-existing polish, identifying them as better long-term partners.

The key trait for scaling a company is ownership. To screen for it, ask candidates about their mistakes. A-players will admit a genuine flaw, like having trust issues that lead to micromanagement. B-players will offer a veiled brag or fake weakness, which is a major red flag.

To accurately assess an unteachable trait like coachability, you can't just ask about it. You must create a situation that requires it. For coachability, run a brief role-play, provide direct feedback, and ask them to do it again, observing their verbal and non-verbal reactions to the coaching itself.

In an SDR interview, the first mock cold call will likely be poor. The real test is the second attempt. Give the candidate one or two pieces of feedback and observe if they can implement the change. Their ability to be coached is a far better predictor of success.

A powerful interview question to test for coachability is, "Tell me about your favorite leader." Coachable candidates praise leaders who actively taught and developed them. Uncoachable candidates often praise leaders who simply left them alone and "got out of their way."

Salespeople often focus on being 'coachable' (receptive to feedback). A more powerful trait is humility—the proactive asking for help and recognition that success is a team effort. Humility unlocks collaboration and support, getting you further, faster than simply being open to advice.

Beyond IQ and EQ, interview for 'Resilience Quotient' (RQ)—the ability to persevere through setbacks. A key tactic is to ask candidates about their proudest achievement, then follow up with, 'What would you do differently?' to see how they navigated strife and learned from it.