One major lesson on team building was drilled home by Wayne McVicker in his excellent book, Starting Something. Throughout the book, McVicker shared a valuable lesson: that hiring for fit is far more important than hiring based on the strength of a resume.

He drills this point home with example after example from his time growing Neoforma during the late 90’s. McVicker believes that the culture of a young company is crucial to its success and that hiring for fit preserves the culture, ensuring that the team continues to push forward. This is one reason why entrepreneurs should spend more time building the right team.

In the early days the team is going to make or break the organization. A start-up sin is to hire a body because a seat is empty. This should never happen. Instead, until a great match can be found that seat should remain empty. Growth should be delayed. And the right person should be found.

You’re trading short-term growth for long-term sustainability. There is nothing more disruptive to a well working team than introducing a new member to the team who just doesn’t… fit.

The team is the most valuable resource of a young company and hiring anything but the right person; therefore, puts the company at great risk.

[Note: this is a continuing post, in follow up to my “Less AND More” post. You can find the first two continuing posts here: More Wild Guesses & Less Opportunity.]

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