When you think of the type of people you want to work with, what are you looking for?
Talent and Experience, or Character and Attitude?

Ideally, those four qualities won’t be mutually exclusive and you’ll surround yourself with people who possess all of them. But what if you can’t find someone who’s solid in all four categories?

What will you choose? Talent and Experience, or Character and Attitude?

I suppose if you’re looking for a brain surgeon or a helicopter pilot, you’ll probably be more concerned with their level of talent and experience. But for most positions, you’ll get a lot more mileage from people who have solid character and a positive attitude.

So, how well does everybody on the team you’ve built score in these four areas?

Regardless of how your people measure up, everyone on your team affects your shared path. Good or bad, each person contributes to your team’s performance and culture.

Most business leaders say they seek people with great character and attitude. They follow by saying they can always teach and train people to acquire the skills and experience that are necessary for doing their job. I tend to agree. Except for one thing.

Most managers don’t actually focus on doing either. Most managers say that they hire people with good character and they’ll teach them the skills they need. But saying it and actually following through with it isn’t the same. Of course, you’re not “most managers” though.

So, how are you building your team?