1/ Many people ask me, what is my hiring criteria? What do I expect from my team members? How do I retain good talent?
Here lies the answer.
This tweet thread will be useful for CEOs and people who want to work with me.
Here lies the answer.
This tweet thread will be useful for CEOs and people who want to work with me.
2/ My previous tweet has 1.4k comments from people who want to work with me. I want to put it out here so that I attract the right talent. It's gonna be a zen-like post. Brace yourself.
3/ Good experiences that we crave in life have something in common.
The medium through which you experience it usually disappears.
Because if it doesn't disappear, then the experience is not good enough.
Let me explain...
The medium through which you experience it usually disappears.
Because if it doesn't disappear, then the experience is not good enough.
Let me explain...
4/ Imagine. If you are watching a very good movie on a small mobile screen, you are constantly reminded of the phone you are holding.
It is small, you keep getting notifications, and also it is hard to hold it in your hand all the time.
It is small, you keep getting notifications, and also it is hard to hold it in your hand all the time.
5/ However, if you watch the same good movie in a home theatre with a 100 inch 4K HD projector, you will forget that there is a screen and you will forget that you are in the theatre.
You are into the movie.
Just you and the movie.
The medium (the theatre) disappears.
You are into the movie.
Just you and the movie.
The medium (the theatre) disappears.
6/ It disappears because you don't need to pay attention to it.
You don't need to be reminded of its presence even if it is the medium through which the movie experience is delivered.
You don't need to be reminded of its presence even if it is the medium through which the movie experience is delivered.
7/ We can go one more level deep with this. If it is a good movie, you will forget that you are watching a movie.
You are into the character and the story of the character.
You are totally absorbed.
The "movie" disappears.
It's just you and the story.
You are into the character and the story of the character.
You are totally absorbed.
The "movie" disappears.
It's just you and the story.
8/ However, if it is a bad movie, you will be constantly reminded of the fact that you are watching a movie, even if you are watching it in a home theatre.
You would want to skip forward or make a decision to stop watching the movie. You cannot forget the movie.
You would want to skip forward or make a decision to stop watching the movie. You cannot forget the movie.
9/ So the bottom line: the worse something is, the more you are reminded of its presence.
The better something is, the more you can forget about it.
In short, the medium that delivers the result should disappear from your conscious attention, letting you flow.
The better something is, the more you can forget about it.
In short, the medium that delivers the result should disappear from your conscious attention, letting you flow.
10/ Your goal is to be with the flow of your experience. The purpose of the medium is to help you experience without you having to remember that there is a medium. The better the medium, the more it will disappear. The worse the medium, the more it will remind you of its presence
11/ Have you started guessing what I am trying to say?
Let me give you one more example.
Let me give you one more example.
12/ When you ride a bad motorcycle on a beautiful highway, you cannot enjoy the ride 100%.
You might enjoy it 80% because 20% of attention is going to your motorcycle that is not doing a good job. And doesn't disappear from your attention.
You might enjoy it 80% because 20% of attention is going to your motorcycle that is not doing a good job. And doesn't disappear from your attention.
13/ If you ride a really good motorcycle (like a Tiger 900) then you forget that there is a motorcycle.
The bike is so smooth and does its job so well that you can just focus on the ride and nothing else.
You are in the flow of the ride.
Totally absorbed.
Zen. 🧘🏼
The bike is so smooth and does its job so well that you can just focus on the ride and nothing else.
You are in the flow of the ride.
Totally absorbed.
Zen. 🧘🏼
14/ Let's get to the point. What am I looking for in a team member?
If a team member does his/her job so well, then I can forget that I have someone working for me.
If a team member does his/her job so well, then I can forget that I have someone working for me.
15/ I don't need to spend time with this person in the capacity of a boss.
I can spend time as a friend, which is fun and healthy.
Because their work is being taken care of by them with 100% dedication, involvement, and at their best capacity.
I can spend time as a friend, which is fun and healthy.
Because their work is being taken care of by them with 100% dedication, involvement, and at their best capacity.
16/ If a team member doesn't do their job well, then they remind me that they exist as an employee.
I am constantly reminded of them and they wouldn't disappear from my conscious attention.
I am constantly reminded of them and they wouldn't disappear from my conscious attention.
17/ The good members of the team who disappear from my attention as an employee get something priceless in return.
I disappear from conscious attention. As a boss.
They don't need to remember they have a boss.
It will be freedom. As good as being their own boss.
I disappear from conscious attention. As a boss.
They don't need to remember they have a boss.
It will be freedom. As good as being their own boss.
18/ Good team members help me put me in a state of flow of running and growing the organism (the startup).
The team members are also in a state of flow because they love what they do and hence they do it in the best way possible.
The team members are also in a state of flow because they love what they do and hence they do it in the best way possible.
19/ So that's what I expect in an employee.
That they disappear from my conscious attention as an employee and just be a friend to me to hang out with me.
I have a few people like that who I have forgotten about.
That they disappear from my conscious attention as an employee and just be a friend to me to hang out with me.
I have a few people like that who I have forgotten about.
20/ I have more people in my team but I have not completely forgotten about them (not because they are not good enough but because I have not set up systems and processes in such a way I can forget about them). I am working on that. So that I need not be their boss.
21/ If you are planning to work with me, now you know what to expect. And what I expect from you.
If you are running a company yourself, you now know the kind of team you have to build. This is my criteria. And my only criteria. Just one metric. Disappear.
If you are running a company yourself, you now know the kind of team you have to build. This is my criteria. And my only criteria. Just one metric. Disappear.
22/ Integrate into the machine so well that I forget you exist. We can put some dents in the universe.
The entire organization will be in a state of flow with the work.
And somehow magically it will all fit perfectly together.
And no one else would understand the magic
The entire organization will be in a state of flow with the work.
And somehow magically it will all fit perfectly together.
And no one else would understand the magic
23/ I wouldn't accept anything short of this because my standards are high.
And if your standards are high, you don't deserve anything less than this. 👑
Right?
And if your standards are high, you don't deserve anything less than this. 👑
Right?
24/ And if you were totally into the conversation with me, listening to what I had to say, for a while, Twitter would have disappeared. 👻
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