Now the founder and CEO of the Priority Life Insurance Group, Nick Ayala came out of college a professional golfer. Yet, a desire to serve others caused him to change course and create a marketing company focused on generating leads for insurance professionals. Ayala realized he could not do this on his own, which prompted him to create a team that shared his passion. Here are five characteristics Nick Ayala highly recommends you look for when building a powerhouse staff.

Intelligence

Intelligence does not necessarily mean “book smart.” Intelligence is a wide-reaching term that can mean well-read, but also includes traits like street smarts, emotional intelligence, and social skills. A person needs to be able to adapt to various situations organically, and possessing different areas of intelligence is a must to achieve this critical goal.

Communication Skills

In order to connect with people, especially in a business setting, team members need to have excellent communication skills. This includes written and oral communication, especially since so much can get lost in translation when corresponding in text messages and email. To retain a person’s attention, your team needs to master the art of being clear yet concise and make an attempt not to lose focus when delivering a message.

Team Players

The adage, “there is no I in team,” makes perfect sense. A team works as a unified whole, with each member playing a part instead of acting in an individual capacity. When hiring a staff, look for team players who work well with others and collaborate rather than bring conflict. It’s excellent if a person can do equally well on their own or with others as this is a display of adapting to various work conditions. What you want to avoid is a person who claims they always work better alone.

Ambition

You want to look for ambitious and motivated people when it comes to building your team. Even if they cannot advance within the organization, motivated individuals often ask to take on additional responsibilities to further contribute to the organization. Ambitious people are also willing to learn and thrive when they acquire new knowledge.

Like-Minded

A person might have impressive credentials and seem like a great employee, but the question is whether or not that person will integrate with the company culture. It is critical to hire like-minded individuals who will keep the ship sailing rather than sink it. The last thing you want to do is hire someone who does not share your organizational beliefs and vision as you are opening the door to eventual problems.

By looking for these characteristics when building his team, Nick Ayala has built an exceptional staff that shares his passion and uses this to scale business continuously. It’s all about wanting more for yourself, your company, and your clients.