It's always exciting to hire someone who's talented and a good culture fit. But in my experience, it's easy to conflate that exciting person person's skill (and, importantly, passion) in planning and strategizing with his or her ability to execute an established mission. Especially from just a resume.
Odesk CEO Gary Swart says that's because most (employable) people fall into two groups: Hill Takers and Hill Finders, or "figure-outers." Both are essential to a growing enterprise, but under different circumstances and in varying quantities. You'll find both kinds of people in almost every job function from finance to creative, marketing to operations and beyond.
To be clear: this is not a dichotomy between thinking and doing. It's scouting versus fighting. Knowing which category you fall under can help you not only focus on playing to your strengths, but also articulate your value more concretely.
So what's the difference?
