Why Talent Without Agency Won’t Take You Far in Life and Work
I first encountered the notion of „high agency“ while listening to an interview about how OpenAI does hiring.
It changed the way I looked at team dynamics and how I approach hiring.
In the past, I built a dev team that was amazing, but I always felt something was missing.
Now, looking back, the problem was that we were too fond of talking and not enough into action and driving topics.
Ever since, not showing agency is a red flag for me.
Displaying high agency is a crucial aspect of an individual that makes teams stronger.
Great post Rafa. I've been hearing this term more and more as well. How is it different from autonomy? Also, what are the risks of being a High Agency person?
Thank you, Suresh! This is a brilliant question. In short:
- Autonomy = external freedom to act, usually based on trust.
- High-agency = internal drive to act, regardless of the external environment.
Potential risks are: burnout, overstepping boundaries, resistance from others, misalignment with some company cultures, etc.
Thank you so much for clarifying it for me!
I first encountered the notion of „high agency“ while listening to an interview about how OpenAI does hiring.
It changed the way I looked at team dynamics and how I approach hiring.
In the past, I built a dev team that was amazing, but I always felt something was missing.
Now, looking back, the problem was that we were too fond of talking and not enough into action and driving topics.
Ever since, not showing agency is a red flag for me.
Displaying high agency is a crucial aspect of an individual that makes teams stronger.
Great post Rafa. I've been hearing this term more and more as well. How is it different from autonomy? Also, what are the risks of being a High Agency person?
Thank you, Suresh! This is a brilliant question. In short:
- Autonomy = external freedom to act, usually based on trust.
- High-agency = internal drive to act, regardless of the external environment.
Potential risks are: burnout, overstepping boundaries, resistance from others, misalignment with some company cultures, etc.
Thank you so much for clarifying it for me!