The five qualities of high performers I look for

Twenty years in the technology industry, and I've crossed paths with a lot of talented people; across cultures, geographies, and backgrounds. I've always chased the chance to learn from them, and I've coached and mentored a fair number of people, on my own team and across others, who've gone on to do genuinely great things.

Somewhere along the way, five qualities kept showing up in the people I'd call high performers. Not the loudest people in the room, and not always the smartest. The ones who consistently went furthest shared five things: they were humble, hungry, honest, helpful, and human. In my experience, these five predict how far someone actually goes as a leader; more than talent alone ever will.

1. Humble: Keep learning. The moment you think you already know something, you stop being curious about it; and that's where growth quietly ends. Ego is one of the fastest ways to kill an opportunity to learn. Approach people with a child's curiosity and you'll be surprised how much you still don't know, regardless of someone's title, seniority, or years of experience. The most talented people I've worked with are usually the ones asking the most questions, not giving the most answers.

2. Hungry: Be grateful but never settle. Push to be better than you were yesterday. Be the hardest-working person in the room; not to prove it to anyone else, but because excellence is the standard you hold yourself to. Mediocre is comfortable. High performers don't stay comfortable for long.

3. Honest: Don't fool yourself, and don't fool the people around you. Face the real situation head-on instead of managing around it. Let people be vulnerable with you; that's how trust actually gets built, not through polished messaging. Do the right thing even when nobody's watching and nobody asked. And tell the truth even when it feels like you're standing alone in the room. That's usually exactly when it matters most.

4. Helpful: Be genuinely invested in other people's success. Zig Ziglar put it simply years ago: if you help enough people get what they want, you end up getting what you want too. That idea has stuck with me for over two decades; my own culture calls it seva, selfless service. The Japanese call a version of it omotenashi. In Norway, it's dugnad, communal work for the good of the group. Different words, same idea, everywhere I've worked: help people genuinely, and it comes back around.

5. Human: This matters more now than ever, in an age where AI can answer almost anything except how to actually connect with someone. Build real relationships. Give people the benefit of the doubt and stay curious about how they see the world; none of us gets anywhere entirely on our own in a connected, interdependent world. When I'm building a team, I lean on the SCARF model, developed by Dr. David Rock, to understand how social interactions trigger threat or reward responses in the brain. It's changed how I think about giving feedback, running meetings, and just being around people day to day.

These five qualities are what twenty years in this industry taught me to look for, and they're strong predictors of who goes on to lead well. They've shaped how I identify and bring the right people onto a team, and how I recognize early when someone isn't the right fit. More than anything, they keep me honest about the kind of leader I'm still trying to become.

Always glad to connect with leaders who care about building teams this way. If these five resonate with you, I'd welcome the conversation.

Originally published on LinkedIn.