From the CEO's Desk: What I Look for When I Hire

One of the questions I'm often asked is, "What do you look for when hiring someone?”

People usually expect the answer to revolve around technical expertise, years of experience, or educational background. While those may matter, they are rarely what distinguishes exceptional people.

Although I would prefer to not box these traits into behavioural patterns, I've realised that the people who create extraordinary impact share a common set of qualities.

Appreciation for Quality and Beauty

One quality that is often overlooked is taste. Whether we are designing a product, writing code, creating a presentation, building a process, or speaking to a customer, quality matters.

I admire people who instinctively recognize elegance, simplicity, and craftsmanship. They are not satisfied with something that merely works. They want it to be intuitive. Thoughtful. Beautiful.

That appreciation for quality elevates everything we build.

Generalists Who Think in Systems

As organizations grow, every function becomes increasingly interconnected.

A great engineer understands customers.

A great marketer understands products.

A great customer success manager understands engineering.

The future belongs to people who think beyond their own function.

I appreciate people who connect dots across disciplines, understand how one decision affects another, and optimise the entire system rather than a single component. Solutions emerge when people see the whole picture.

The best people I have worked with never limit themselves to a particular skill, particular programming language, particular discipline. Instead they think from problem, situation, and system perspective.

A Bias for Experimentation

Experimentation means accepting that not every idea will work. It means being comfortable with uncertainty while constantly searching for better ways to solve problems. Being comfortable doesn’t mean one needs to be in a state of uncertainty or tread the path forever, but progressing towards clarity.

People who experiment learn faster than those who wait for certainty. The cost of experimentation has never been lower.

Agency to Act

Some people wait for direction. Others create momentum

I look for people with agency, those who see opportunities, identify problems, and take initiative without waiting to be asked.

They don't ask, "Whose responsibility is this?" They ask, "How can I help solve this?"

Every great organisation is built by people who act.

Curiosity to Ask Better Questions

One of my favourite qualities in a person is curiosity

People who ask thoughtful questions learn faster, uncover hidden opportunities, and challenge conventional thinking. They don't pretend to know everything. Instead, they actively seek understanding. The most transformative questions are often the ones directed inward: "Why do I think this way?", "What am I missing?", "How can I do this better?" It is this refusal to accept the status quo, especially within ourselves that drives excellence.

Seeing Problems from a New Perspective

Every company runs the risk of becoming comfortable with its own thinking

The best people challenge assumptions, not because they want to disagree, but because they see things differently. They ask, "Why are we doing it this way?" or "Is there a better approach?”

Innovation almost always begins with someone willing to look at the same problem from a new angle.

Bias for Execution

Ideas create possibilities. Execution creates outcomes.

I admire people who don't wait for perfect conditions before taking action. They move, learn from feedback, and improve with every iteration.

Speed matters, not because we want to rush, but because learning compounds only when we execute.

Sound Judgment

Perhaps the most underrated skill today is judgment. AI is remarkably capable, but it can also be confidently wrong.

Knowing when to trust a recommendation, when to challenge it, and when to rely on experience is becoming one of the most valuable human capabilities.

Judgment comes from critical thinking, context, experience, and humility.

Final thought: The qualities that define exceptional people are, at their core, the qualities that define exceptional human beings.