Why I Would Hire the Kid on the Scooter

Driving one evening, I saw a boy, maybe 11 or 12, riding a stand-up scooter and carrying a set of golf clubs.

My immediate thought: I would hire that kid someday.

Golf clubs are awkward enough to carry on foot. Transporting them on a scooter takes some planning. Yet there he was, on his way to wherever he wanted to be, using the transportation he had available.

He looked pretty cool, too.

I have no idea where he was going or what arrangements his family had made. Maybe his parents had told him, “If you want to go, figure out how to get there.” Mine would have said the same thing.

I was reading a lot into a brief encounter. But the sight stayed with me because it reminded me of qualities I value in the people I want on my team: initiative, resourcefulness, independence and the willingness to make an effort when something is inconvenient.

The willingness to begin

We spend plenty of time discussing the skills people will need as technology changes. AI literacy, communication, adaptability and critical thinking deserve that attention. Teams need people who can learn new tools and use them responsibly.

I also want people who can begin before every detail has been arranged for them.

That might mean noticing that a client keeps asking the same question and suggesting a clearer way to explain the answer. It might mean trying to resolve a small problem before bringing a recommendation to a manager. It might mean learning enough about an unfamiliar task to ask a useful question.

These actions tell me someone is paying attention and feels responsible for helping the team succeed. They see something that needs to happen and take a reasonable step toward it.

You can give someone instructions. You can teach a process. Encouraging the habit of taking that first step takes patience and opportunities to practice.

Resourcefulness includes knowing when to ask

Independence also requires judgment. A resourceful employee knows when to try something, when to ask for help and when a decision needs another person’s approval.

I want someone who can say, “Here’s what I tried, here’s where I got stuck, and here’s what I recommend.” That gives us a useful place to begin a conversation. It also gives me a chance to understand their thinking and help them develop it.

Resilience can be just as practical. It can mean adjusting an approach after receiving feedback, admitting that an attempt failed or staying patient long enough to learn a difficult skill. There is no need to turn every inconvenience into a test of character. There is value in learning that an awkward beginning does not have to end the attempt.

Leaders have a responsibility here

If we want employees to take initiative, we have to give them room to make decisions. That starts with explaining the outcome we need, the resources available and which decisions they can make themselves.

Then we have to accept that someone may choose a different route than we would.

When every small decision requires permission, employees learn to wait. When a reasonable attempt receives only criticism, they learn to avoid taking chances. A leader’s response helps determine whether someone will speak up again.

In hiring conversations, I want to hear about a time someone had to figure something out with limited resources. What did they try? Where did they need help? What did they change after the first attempt? Those details help me understand how a person approaches an unfamiliar situation.

The boy on the scooter did not know he had prompted all this thinking. He was simply getting somewhere with his golf clubs.

But I appreciated what I saw: a kid who appeared willing to make an effort, work with what he had and get going.

Years from now, the tools he uses will look different. I hope he keeps that willingness to figure things out. I would welcome it on any team I lead.