I was listening to the Oreilly Radar podcast with Katie Dill from Airbnb. Half way through the interview she talks about what she looks for in people joining their user experience team.
Humility, Craft and Hustle
Humility is certainly hot on my radar, so no real need to go back over that, except to say the user experiences we craft/create/enable need a human/ethical dimension.
Craft goes without saying really. But I would say a level of attention, care and slight obsession fits in here. Dare I say a level of geekiness?
Hustle, is essential and without the hustle, the opportunities go missing or never happen. From dictionary.com
An enterprising person determined to succeed; go-getter.
A hustler can make opportunities happen by working hard but never forgetting their goal. They are entrepreneurial in nature.
People have asked me, how on earth Visual Perceptive Media and Perceptive Media generally got the pick up it did? Well thats the hustler side of me. It sounds slightly seedy but in actual fact its the ability to create opportunities and capitalise on them; to the best of your ability. Its hard work but super rewarding when things work out.
Katie Dill has some good points and talking to others, these are characteristics which make up most of the User Experience team in BBC R&D.