This is a short riff on spotting potential. Sometimes you need someone with epic skills ready to plug in, but that’s not what this is about. This is about what potential looks like.

  • When someone took the time to prepare for their interview, that might be potential.
  • When someone has a beautiful CV that’s not a stock template, smells like potential.
  • When someone presents a portfolio of things they’ve made, the potentiometer starts jittering.
  • When someone tells you about that time they tried (successfully or not) to start their own business, it could just be a sign of potential.
  • When someone does the hard work of asking good questions during an interview, the potential starts to shine through.
  • When someone does something with their application that most people don’t think to do, there’s a chance that it’s an indicator of potential.

Little signals. That’s all we get, often, before we have to choose. Take a bet.

And then it’s time. The tension between potential and risk, and the release that stems from either yes or no. To launch or not to launch.

To dare.