Finding People Who Give a Damn

How do you know someone will be good at a job before you hire them?

You could look for signs of smarts. A history of hard work. High integrity. Someone who passes an airport test. All of these traits are necessary, but they’re not sufficient.

So how do you really know someone will be a good hire?

Look for people who give a damn.

People who care don’t have to be the smartest, hardest-working, highest-integrity, or most fun people to be around. But they tend to be all of those things–and more.

I’ve found the hardest task in my career has been finding people who really give a damn. And when I find them I do everything I reasonably can to keep them. After all, keeping great people is easier than finding them.

That said, to find these unicorns, the most consistent high signal is understanding what drives someone or what they’re incentivized by.

That means prodding into people’s interests, both personally and professionally.

Do they attack things with zeal? Do they light up when they talk about their experiences? Are they almost floating when they talk about the opportunity in front of them?

Or is this clearly just a job for them.

A job being a job is okay. For most things. But if you’re trying to do high-quality work you can be proud of, you need people who care as much as you do, if not more.

In a world where most people don’t have opinions, or don’t care, giving a damn is a real differentiator.

People who give a damn may not be perfect but they make up for all their shortcomings by caring more, and by always finding a way.