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.
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When interviewing salespeople, the biggest red flag is blame. Strong candidates demonstrate humility and self-reflection by taking ownership of lost deals and analyzing their own shortcomings. Weaker candidates deflect, blaming the product, competition, or other external factors, signaling a lack of coachability.
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.
To differentiate talent, serial founder Brad Jacobs imagines a key employee resigning. If his reaction is relief, they're a C-player. If it's manageable inconvenience, a B-player. But if the thought induces "pure terror and absolute panic," they are an irreplaceable A-player you must retain.
In a fast-moving environment, Larroudé prioritizes hiring people who admit what they don't know rather than bluffing. They also seek candidates who, when in crisis, proactively look for solutions instead of panicking. These traits, combined with non-negotiable ethics, indicate success in a scrappy culture.
When evaluating talent, the biggest red flag is "hand-waving." If you ask a direct question about their area of responsibility and they can't give a crisp, clear explanation, they likely lack true understanding. Top performers know their craft and can explain the "why" behind their actions.
Ditch standard FANG interview questions. Instead, ask candidates to describe a messy but valuable project they shipped. The best candidates will tell an authentic, automatic story with personal anecdotes. Their fluency and detail reveal true experience, whereas hesitation or generic answers expose a lack of depth.
A rising tide lifts all boats. The true test of a founder partnership emerges during downturns. Diligence should focus on teasing out traits like adaptability, humility, and accountability, which predict how a founder will react when plans inevitably go awry.
The chaotic, underdog nature of a startup is a binary filter. Frame this reality honestly during interviews. The right candidate will be energized by the challenge, while the wrong fit will be stressed. This question quickly reveals cultural suitability.
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.
An effective manager evaluation technique is to recognize that everyone presents their polished "best self" initially. An allocator's primary job during due diligence is to actively investigate beyond this facade to uncover the manager's "true self"—how they operate under pressure and handle failure—before committing capital.
