4. Don’t gamble on your employees.
Entrepreneurs gamble every time they take on new staff. A resume lists skills, but it’s much harder to tell whether that employee will work with the passion and commitment the company needs. In Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg describes how Mark Zuckerberg offered her a generous pay package to become chief of operations -- which she refused. She listened to her husband, a Silicon Valley CEO, went back and asked for more.
Zuckerberg didn’t blink. He paid her what she thought she deserved. He understood that a great team member is a sure thing, and when you’re holding an ace, you can afford to bet big.