I remember sitting with my grandfather as he would mull over applications. He owned a small family operated Amoco Gas Station franchise. My mother and grandmother did the bookkeeping for years. There were a few men that worked on the cars that would come in for repairs, and a few ever-revolving set of teens that would pump the gas or young mothers that would run the register. It was small and simple. I recall him telling me that he looked for a sense of character first and foremost, and skill when it came to fixing cars. He wanted to trust his employees.

As I’m sitting down to do my first hiring stint for Insanitek, I’m thinking about his wisdom. He hired one only truly bad person in the years he owned the station. This one person had access to the safe, stealing enough money to crippling the business, killing it in the end.

For those of you that don’t know, when you own a franchise, you don’t have to do much in the way of marketing, as it’s attached to the name (think, Subway). You put down several thousands of dollars to essentially buy a pre-built business, then take on all the responsibilities as if you own it. So, when this person stole money from the station, Amoco did not come in to the rescue. It was all on our family. Nine people lost their jobs and livelihoods because of one person’s greed.

I knew this person pretty well, but even I didn’t see it coming. Though, I admit I suspected them very strongly after the money came up missing.

Now, as I’m hiring for Insanitek, I have to wonder if I’ll recognise these characteristics.

What I’m looking for are people who are passionate about science and logic, enjoy the journey of learning, have a high amount of integrity. As Jiger Patel noted in NRI Investments and Taxation: A Small Guide for Big Gains:

“Before hiring, evaluate the 5 Cs – Character (trust, ethics, integrity, independence), Capacity (education, experience, holistic perspective), Collateral (what you get in return), Conditions (scope of work, fees, confidentiality) and Capital (financial soundness of advisor).”

While I’m not investing in India, which this guide was written for, it’s sound advice. After all, I want people to own their work, their growth, their life. I want people to understand the investments that I have to make in them as well as Insanitek. I want people to understand the risks involved in this joint adventure of ours.

The rest, well, that’s details of getting the jobs done.

This is when all those lessons in influence and reading people will come in handy.

While I can’t pass on the knowledge I learnt easily, I can tell you that I learnt it from experience. Every encounter has the ability to teach you about people. You can see how they think and operate. When you listen, you hear their values and worldview. From their stories you can tell how they will fit into your mission and vision. You can also get an idea of how you’d work with them as a person, and then tell if your style meshes with theirs.

If you’re a leader that gives people space, then those that need to be led will not succeed. If you’re a micromanager, but the employee is someone who gets it and craves freedom and creativity, it won’t work. If the job needs a conscientious data cruncher, sticking a social butterfly in that role will likely mean the job won’t get done or the person would be miserable.

Connection is key. 

Connect the person to the job. Connect them to the management style. Connect them to the company culture.

So, Insanitek’s principle when hiring is to find the ones that connect the best in multiple ways. Character matters more than capabilities — those can always be trained.

And here’s hoping years of experience will protect Insanitek from someone who lacks integrity.