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What exactly is an 'A player'? The definition I perceive from the investment world is - 'Person X is an A player because both myself and other investors I resp
by jonmc12 16y ago
What exactly is an 'A player'?
The definition I perceive from the investment world is - 'Person X is an A player because both myself and other investors I respect pattern match that Person X is an A player'. The attributes of that pattern match vary, but include things like work that is well known, educational and professional pedigree, strong references from long trusted sources in industry, peer reputation, etc.
I've read the book Topgrading, which gives a definition of 'an A-player is someone in the top 10 percent of talent available at all salary levels for a well defined organizational role'.
I've perceived that many modern engineering cultures will bias towards calling an engineering candidate an A player if that candidate has worked with other engineers that are considered to be A players by the same culture. Of course, nearly all organizations have their own methods for assessing technical ability and previous experience as well.
What is the most useful definition of an A-player in a tech startup?
- stcredzero 16y agoThe most verifiable and useful definitions have to do with quantifiable results. - Can they get things done? - Can they act on their own initiative? - Can they think 2 steps or more ahead? - Can they code? Can they code well? - Can they think and think well? Can they think *independently*? These aren't quantifiable like temperature or width, but they are tangible and to some extent measurable. The last two are the trickiest. For one thing, it's going to be very difficult for someone who doesn't code to be able to tell reliably if they can code. One can, however, watch someone code and observe their results. Likewise, it's sometimes going to be hard for someone who doesn't yet know how to code well to judge good code. One can also listen to another's thoughts. However, someone who doesn't yet know how to think independently won't necessarily know what good independent thinking is. They'll only know what someone else tells them is good independent thinking.
- jonmc12 16y agoI agree with this, but something is missing. I think when it comes to recruiting, fundraising or customer development the work must not only get done - but it must be impressive to the target audience. I propose an adapted definition based on your definition (numbers relate to the order listed above): A players understand a problem in terms of stakeholders[5], and takes initiative[2] to quickly build a solution in code[4] that will impress these stakeholders both in the short-term and over time [1, 3].