🛠️ How to Assemble Your Ultimate Startup Team...

10 essential traits and 5 strategic interview questions from Tramayne Monaghan of Next176 for assembling your ultimate startup team, focusing on agility, innovation, and a results-oriented mindset.

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While doing research for our recent piece on venture studios, we noticed that many of the best tech and venture people in SA were being snapped up by Next176. As you might expect, we investigated and traced it all back to the desk of their CVO Tramayne Monaghan.

So, when the topic of building innovative startup teams came up, we asked Tramayne to take the lead…

There’s a major difference between someone who has shined in an established business vs someone who will succeed in the pace and chaos of the startup world — so it’s important to look for the right things when hiring for your startup.

When I’m hiring and managing, I look for people who will take extreme ownership of their domains. They must be proactive, willing to challenge my (and the entire team’s) thinking, know how to work in flux and adapt to change fast.

I look for people who will be able to think on the fly and execute fast, knowing we’re working towards the same vision.

The following 10 characteristics are key

Embrace Change

Maintain a Competitive Mindset

Value Results Over Perfection

Challenge Conventional Wisdom

Are accountable

Push Boundaries

Resourceful and Efficient

Recognise and Mitigate Weakness

Embrace Challenges

Prioritise Doing the Right Things

But how do you test whether candidates have these characteristics? You ask them good questions. Here are a few examples:

5 Interview Questions to Help You Find Those Values

1. Assessing Agility & Critical Thinking

Ask: “How do you approach problems that have no clear solution or path forward?”

Assess: The candidate is expected to exhibit their skill in dissecting a problem into more manageable segments, pinpointing possible solutions, and considering various elements to reach a conclusion. Moreover, an effective response would highlight the candidate's capacity to assimilate new data and modify their strategy accordingly.

2. Assessing Drive & Creativity

Ask: "Tell me about a time when you identified and seized an opportunity that put you or your team ahead of the competition. What was the scenario and how did you go beyond the usual limits to achieve this?"

Assess: The ideal answer will showcase the candidate's ability to foresee opportunities and their strategic thinking in outpacing competitors.

3. Resourcefulness & Efficiency

Ask: "Describe a project where you had to prioritize results over processes and use limited resources efficiently. What compromises did you make and what was the impact of those decisions?"

Assess: You're assessing practicality and problem-solving skills. Look for their ability to make strategic trade-offs, use resources wisely, and their capacity to deliver results under constraints.

4. Accountability & Self Awareness

Ask: "How have you held yourself or a team member accountable for a mistake, and what steps did you take to rectify the situation?”

Add: “How do you address your own weaknesses in a professional setting?"

Assess: Look for integrity and self-awareness. Good responses should reflect honesty in acknowledging errors, taking responsibility (whether personal or shared), and concrete steps taken to correct mistakes.

5. Prioritising & Decision-making

Ask: "Can you give an example of a challenging situation where you had to make a critical decision to ensure long-term success? How did you determine the right course of action and what was the result?"

Assess: This tests strategic thinking and decision-making under pressure. Candidates should illustrate their ability to evaluate complex situations, weigh various factors and potential outcomes, and make decisions that align with long-term goals. Pay attention to their thought process in solving the problem.

Today’s Builder’s Corner was written by Tramayne Monaghan who is the Chief Venture Officer at Next176.

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