At some point, for a manager or for yourself, you’ll have to hire or build a team. If you haven’t been taking notes, it will be hard finding great fits.

2, 3, 4, 5 interviews might not give you the answers having worked with someone would. You might end up with great hires or you might not.

The best way around this is to start building your A team as early as possible. You might not be able to recruit them in the next 5 years but, if you’ve worked with them, you know what to expect.

If nothing else, being able to surround yourself with high performers makes you invaluable. Take notes of people you’d like to work with again, note where they’re heading and what they can bring to the table. Hiring or not, it’s a good thing to do.

So, who’s on your A-list? On who’s A-list are you?