Sequoia Capital Targets Edgy Hires With Something To Prove

Sequoia Capital Partner Doug Leone on why his firm deliberately hires edgy people with something to prove: Doug Leone explains that his firm's relentless work ethic starts with hiring a very particular kind of person. "We hired people that had a shock in their system when they were growing up. Maybe they were shunned. Maybe they were too smart for their own good. Maybe they were left by a parent. Maybe they were in a vicious competition with a twin brother. We have all those." He includes himself in that description: "In my case, I came from Europe. I got abused in high school. I was pissed off." These early struggles produce a distinctive type of person — one Doug's firm actively seeks out: "We find these folks are a little edgy and for the rest of their lives they have something to prove in some ways not very different than founders." But hiring edgy, driven individuals is only half the equation. The real magic happens in how the firm shapes them once they arrive. Because they were set aside growing up, Doug explains, these hires tend to be "I people," and he admits he was one himself. So the firm deliberately places them in what he calls a circle of trust: "We put those people in an environment of trust. We teach them because those people and starting with myself, we were not pros at using the we pronoun... we put them in a circle of trust and we teach them that we is better than I." Compensation reinforces the shift from "I" to "we": "We get compensation right. We don't have a situation that Johnny makes 10% more than Susie. It's pretty flat, which means we share things among us." The result is a rare combination: people with a deep, innate need to prove themselves, working inside a flat, trusting culture that redirects that drive toward the team. @dougleone sums it up: "We have this need, this incessant need to do something, to win that never goes away. And so when you say we work hard, it's all we've ever known."

Sequoia Capital Partner Doug Leone on why his firm deliberately hires edgy people with something to prove: Doug Leone explains that his firm's relentless work ethic starts with hiring a very particular kind of person. "We hired people that had a shock in their system when they were growing up. Maybe they were shunned. Maybe they were too smart for their own good. Maybe they were left by a parent. Maybe they were in a vicious competition with a twin brother. We have all those." He includes himself in that description: "In my case, I came from Europe. I got abused in high school. I was pissed off." These early struggles produce a distinctive type of person — one Doug's firm actively seeks out: "We find these folks are a little edgy and for the rest of their lives they have something to prove in some ways not very different than founders." But hiring edgy, driven individuals is only half the equation. The real magic happens in how the firm shapes them once they arrive. Because they were set aside growing up, Doug explains, these hires tend to be "I people," and he admits he was one himself. So the firm deliberately places them in what he calls a circle of trust: "We put those people in an environment of trust. We teach them because those people and starting with myself, we were not pros at using the we pronoun... we put them in a circle of trust and we teach them that we is better than I." Compensation reinforces the shift from "I" to "we": "We get compensation right. We don't have a situation that Johnny makes 10% more than Susie. It's pretty flat, which means we share things among us." The result is a rare combination: people with a deep, innate need to prove themselves, working inside a flat, trusting culture that redirects that drive toward the team. @dougleone sums it up: "We have this need, this incessant need to do something, to win that never goes away. And so when you say we work hard, it's all we've ever known."