The A-Team

  As the past weeks lectures had brought up past conversations a I have had with organizations I have been a part of and readings I have done. From these experience there has been a common theme thats resonated; establishing the right team is crucial to the success of your organization. You may have the brightest people in the world be part of your company but if its not the right mix of people it could proved to be more of a determent than asset. Yet as a start-up venture it is even more crucial to have an eye for talent, because often times the room of error is much smaller.

I have had the great fortune in meeting an array of interesting people through out my life. One of them has been James Guiterrez, founder of Progreso Financiero. In an interview he gave James said, "Hire Missionaries, Not Mercenaries". He went out to say that you should always hire based on culture and fit first. "You may hire someone with a great set of skills who is very accomplished but does not believe in the mission of the company, they will in all likely hood destroy your culture. In addition James said "As the leader of an organization you need to make sure you are always brining on people who truly connect with, and are motivated by the mission of your company and culture. Once you hire a "mercenary", they attract others like them who can destroy a company from the inside. It may happen gradually but you can see your company changing."

This leads me to my second point, passion. In any industry this is vital for you and those around you. Speaking from personal experience I was at a company were I did not have the passion for the organization. In any job, even if you love it, there will be those days in where you do not want to be there or you may simply be having a tough day. As many before me have attested to, when those days arrive what gets you through those days is the passion. In my case, I did not like where I was at and thus when those days came I was miserable which led to my performance suffering. Yet, when I was at an organization where I did have the passion for it clearly reflected in my work. Additionally, when I was having those "tough days" what kept me going was the passion and love I had for the organization.

Thus when constructing your A-Team for your own venute make sure to not only look for the brightest talent available but also make sure they're a fit. If not, it could turn into a black plague within your venture. This could proved to be the hardest component to maintain the venute afloat.