I hired a Broadway star to run my marketing team…it was the best decision I ever made

Over the 18 years we've been growing Wistia, some people with "perfect" resumes have lasted mere weeks with us, while those with the wildest life stories in everything but SaaS have been with us for years.

Either we're doing something weird and different at Wistia, or the perceptions about the experience you need in your field to do a job in it are wildly off-base.

I polled Wistians to see how they earned a living before entering tech across all departments and levels of seniority. Here are just a few answers:

• Corporate Christmas tree decorator

• Goat tender

• Spotlight operator for Lady Gaga

• Baby ballet teacher

• Romance bookshop owner

• Bank teller

• High-rise sign installer

• Beach concession stand cook

• Philosophy professor

• Mental health therapist

• Reality television contestant

• Reality television producer

• Camp counselor

• Ice cream shop manager

• Airforce Officer

• Broadway star

• Folk Singer

• Art docent

• High-end cheese seller

• Bowling alley mechanic

• FEMA employee

• Pharmacy technician

• Whitewater kayaking guide

• Lifeguard

• Caregiver

• Librarian

• Cat cafe employee

• Baker

• Subtitle translator

You might assume this trend wouldn't be true when you look at more senior roles, but it is! Some of our most senior people have unique beginnings.

This list only strengthens my conviction that the perception you need to have experience only in your field to excel at the top is off-base. 

What's really made the difference for us in growing a world-class team at Wistia is finding people with the right attitude and drive to solve hard problems creatively over a long period. 

Everyone has default mindsets, where they tend to fall when it comes to outlook. People can fluctuate and shift perspective, but most tend to default to the same place repeatedly.

Do you take on the day with confidence? Do you have the general mentality that everything will work out? How do you manage adversity? 

Getting to the bottom of these questions and finding the right people with complementary mindsets has worked for us. That's not to say this approach is straightforward. When you're looking for more nuanced things when you interview and not just checking boxes to make sure candidates' experiences match your current needs, it will take time to find the right people.

For us, it's been worth the investment. Once we have a team with great creative synergy, it's magic. 

Great teams care; they push to be better. They aren't afraid to speak the truth. They expect greatness. They need trust, and ultimately, they need camaraderie. Get the right people together, and things click. 

This is just as true under the bright lights of Broadway as it is managing a baby ballet, decorating Christmas trees for a Fortune 100 company, or helping all businesses thrive with video.

It's not about the resume; it's about the individual's growth. Find people who want to grow, and they will take you places.