Connoisseurs of talent

This article is part of the Contemporary leadership series

“The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him,” wrote Nicolo Machiavelli. He was right.

Talking to a Silicon Valley venture capitalist recently I asked what he was looking for when he met up with an entrepreneur with a fledgling business in need of investment. His answer was simple. He didn’t particularly look for particular character traits or personalities. Experience had told him that all shapes and sizes of entrepreneurs with lots of different personalities succeeded. Anyway, gauging personality is notoriously difficult. What he looked for was who were the entrepreneur’s first hires. If they hired someone who looked to all intents and purposes out of their league this was a good sign. If they attracted a couple of unexpectedly great people even better.

Stuart Crainer is the former editor of the award-winning magazine Business Strategy Review and co-founder of the Thinkers50. According to Personnel Today he is one of the most influential people in British people management. His book credits include The Management Century and a biography of the management guru Tom Peters. His work with Des Dearlove in business thought leadership led Management Today to describe them as “market makers par excellence.” Stuart is an adjunct professor at IE Business School.