attributes

Good Deals, Bad People

Warren Buffet suggested that he avoids trying to make a good deal with a bad person. A flawed individual might flourish by testing every exception within the legal instrument, even if the contract is superbly crafted.

Expanding on this notion, perhaps our enterprise should avoid adding people to the board or team if they possess a history of immoral activity and lack any sense of collegiality. Too often, an organization overlooks historical patterns to attain a single talent (money, network, influence, connections). How might we find at least three key attributes of a potential candidate before nominating them to our cause?

We Know

We have learned what an airport looks like, even before seeing the airplanes. Some universal characteristics make it identifiable: the presence of parking garages, rental car shuttles, drop-off and pick-up areas, people with luggage, and air traffic control towers. How might we use some of our common attributes to orient those we serve. If we constructed all the aforementioned features but operated as a dentist’s office, we might confuse more people than we delighted.