What are the biggest problems we commonly see at work?
Lack of trust.
Poor communication.
Unresolved conflicts.
Lack of accountability.
Silos.
And eventually, disengagement.
They may look like different problems, but I think many of them share the same root cause:
Weak team cohesion.
When people don’t feel comfortable communicating openly, small issues stay unspoken.
Instead of asking, we assume.
Instead of clarifying, we create our own version of the story.
Instead of addressing an issue directly, we let it pile up.
That’s also why team fit plays a big role in how I hire.
Of course, competence matters. I want smart people. I want people who are excellent at what they do.
But individual excellence is not enough.
You can be the smartest engineer, the strongest analyst, or the highest performer in the room. But if you can’t communicate, collaborate, respect others, and work well with the team, your individual strength can eventually become a weakness for the whole team.
One high performer with the wrong attitude can easily become the bad apple that affects everyone around them.
Skills can be developed. Knowledge can be learned.
But willingness to communicate, collaborate, and genuinely be part of a team is something I look for from day one.
Because I don’t just hire individuals.
I hire people who will become part of a team.
And a great team will always be more valuable to me than a collection of great individuals who can’t work together.