Eben Pagan reveals how to build a powerful team by finding 'star' performers who see themselves as causes rather than victims. He shares counterintuitive lessons about virtual team members and why focusing on results rather than activity creates better outcomes.
Power People
How to identify and hire star team members -- A systematic approach to finding team members who will drive business growth rather than create problems
Hire Intrinsically Motivated People — Never Try to Motivate
Find intrinsically motivated people rather than trying to motivate unmotivated ones—if you're asking how to motivate your team, you made an upstream hiring mistake.
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Stars Live in an Abundant Universe Where Change Is Possible
Stars live in a friendly, abundant, opportunity-filled universe and believe they can change themselves and their circumstances.
▶ 15:30
Build Your Team With Four Archetypal Personality Roles
Build your team with four archetypal personality types: organizers for administration, creatives for design and communication, business-type people, and deal makers for partnerships.
▶ 2:25
Emotional Estimation Is the Most Dangerous Hiring Mistake
Emotional estimation—hiring someone because you 'really like them'—is one of the most dangerous and prevalent mistakes in business hiring.
▶ 3:44
Turn Costly Team Mistakes Into Expensive Education
When team members make costly mistakes, respond with curiosity about lessons learned rather than anger, turning expensive errors into valuable education.
▶ 8:22
How to identify and hire star team members -- A systematic approach to finding team members who will drive business growth rather than create problems
Build Your Team With Four Archetypal Personality Roles
Build your team with four archetypal personality types: organizers for administration, creatives for design and communication, business-type people, and deal makers for partnerships.
Virtual Teams Force a Focus on Results Not Activity
Virtual team members force you to focus only on results rather than activity, eliminating creative avoidance behaviors that look productive but don't create outcomes.
Hire Intrinsically Motivated People — Never Try to Motivate
Find intrinsically motivated people rather than trying to motivate unmotivated ones—if you're asking how to motivate your team, you made an upstream hiring mistake.
Turn Costly Team Mistakes Into Expensive Education
When team members make costly mistakes, respond with curiosity about lessons learned rather than anger, turning expensive errors into valuable education.
Emotional Estimation Is the Most Dangerous Hiring Mistake
Emotional estimation—hiring someone because you 'really like them'—is one of the most dangerous and prevalent mistakes in business hiring.
Stars See Themselves at Cause — They Make Things Happen
Star performers see themselves at cause—as people who make things happen and change the world—rather than as victims of circumstances.
Stars Live in an Abundant Universe Where Change Is Possible
Stars live in a friendly, abundant, opportunity-filled universe and believe they can change themselves and their circumstances.
Starting Virtual Business with Minimal Equipment
Look for people who see themselves at 'cause' rather than 'effect'—they believe they can change themselves and their circumstances, are driven to evolve and learn, have emotional and social intelligence, want to contribute to something bigger than themselves, and live in what they see as a friendly, abundant universe.
Organizers, Creatives, Operators, Dealmakers: Four Team Archetypes
Build your team with four archetypal types: organizers for administration, creatives for design and communication, business-type people for operations, and deal makers for partnerships and external relationships.
Ask What They Learned Instead of Punishing the Mistake
Call them and ask 'What did you learn?' instead of criticizing. Focus on the lesson gained and remind them it's better to learn now than when the company is larger and the mistake would cost much more.
Emotional Estimation Causes 75% of All Hiring Mistakes
Emotional estimation—hiring someone because you 'really like them' rather than evaluating their ability to produce results. This leads to 75% of all hires being mistakes according to research.
When You Must Motivate Constantly You Made a Hiring Mistake
If you find yourself constantly having to motivate them or tell them what to do, you made an upstream hiring mistake. Stars are intrinsically motivated and don't need external motivation.
Why Virtual Workers Force a Results-Only Management Culture
Virtual workers force you to focus only on results rather than activity. You can't see their busy work or 'creative avoidance' behaviors—only what they actually accomplish.
When You Like Someone in the Interview, Raise a Red Flag
If you like a person a lot when you interview them, you have to have a little red flag go up and say, okay, this is probably going to be a problem.
Motivating Your People Is Like Swimming With an Anchor
Having to motivate your people, I mean, that's like trying to swim with a boat anchor chained around your leg.
Lose 20 Key People and Become an Unimportant Company
Take our 20 best people away and I will tell you that Microsoft would become an unimportant company.
Is the Universe a Friendly Place — The Most Important Question
The most important question to answer is is the universe a friendly place?
Stars Are at Cause — the Simple Frame for High Performers
Stars are at cause. That's the simple way of thinking about it.
What Makes Virtual Team Members More Effective
Why are virtual team members sometimes more effective than in-person employees?
Four Personality Types That Build a Complete Team
What personality types should you hire to build a complete team?
How to Handle Team Members Who Make Expensive Mistakes
How should you handle team members who make expensive mistakes?
How to Identify Star Performers When Building Your Team
How do you identify star performers when hiring for your team?
Signs You Hired the Wrong Person for Your Team
How do you know if you hired the wrong person for your team?
The Biggest Hiring Mistake Most Entrepreneurs Make
What's the biggest hiring mistake entrepreneurs make?
Concepts
Questions
Canonical Teachings
Eben shares how hiring his first team members Sheila and Denise from Elance taught him that remote workers can be more effective than in-person employees. When you only see results rather than activity, star performers shine while poor performers can't hide behind busy work.
Successful teams need four core types: organizers for administration, creatives for design and communication, business-focused people for operations, and deal makers for partnerships. Each type adds power like cylinders in a motor, creating synergistic growth.
Star performers fundamentally see themselves as causes—people who make things happen and change the world. Non-stars see themselves at effect, as victims of circumstances. This mindset difference is visible in their communication, body language, and approach to challenges.
The biggest hiring mistake is emotional estimation—choosing someone because you 'really like them' rather than evaluating their results capability. This leads to 75% of hires being mistakes according to research, even among trained HR professionals.
If you're asking how to motivate your team, you made an upstream hiring mistake. Star performers come pre-wired with motivation and passion. Trying to motivate unmotivated people is like swimming with a boat anchor and creates massive opportunity cost.
Claim: “Having employees work in your office next to you is the most effective way to manage them”
Reframe: Virtual team members can be more effective because you only see results, not meaningless activity or creative avoidance
Claim: “Employees suck and are just problems to manage”
Reframe: Great team members are what create your business success and should be your mastermind group
Claim: “Try to change and develop the people you hire to fit your needs”
Reframe: Find people who are already intrinsically motivated and have the right mindset rather than trying to change them
Eben Interviews Joe Polish Part 2
Why entrepreneurs are attacked for making money but praised for giving it away - and how to think about wealth creation differently.
Developing Your Opportunities As An Entrepreneur
Discover why entrepreneurial success lives at the intersection of chance and choice, and how to develop your opportunity recognition skills.
Coaching Strategies
Business Frameworks
Common Mistakes
