Doing work: team

[This is part of a leadership series where I share small snippets about team building and success]

This year, I’ve been learning to build a team—a process that’s ironic because I’ve largely been working solo. But working alone has given me the space to reflect on what makes teams thrive.

Throughout my journey, I’ve been fortunate to grow in rooms filled with talented people. There’s a lot of discourse around “being the least experienced person in the room,” but that can’t be the only formula. If we only focus on assembling so-called A-players, how do we nurture the next generation of 10x achievers? How do we balance betting on potential with relying on proven talent? Startups, especially, often lack the resources to churn through top hires without fostering growth internally.

These questions have led me to define values that guide who I work with. The first is eccentricism—a love for out-of-the-box thinking. I thrive on unconventional ideas and bold actions. Conformity, on the other hand, drains my energy. In my experience, nothing kills momentum like a teammate who overplays the devil’s advocate role to the point of becoming the devil of the project. Instead, I value those who are willing to take risks, fail fast, and learn faster.

Of course, this isn’t a blanket rule. In some contexts, excessive innovation can be counterproductive. But in creative pursuits, a team of eccentrics often achieves the extraordinary.