“And if they don’t have the latter, the first two will kill you, because if you’re going to get someone without integrity, you want them lazy and dumb.” Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett, one of the greatest investors of all-time, is also an incredible teacher.

His wisdom runs much deeper than just investing and it’s these qualities that helped him build Berkshire Hathaway into one of the most profitable companies in the world.

But he didn’t do it alone, the secret lies in what he looks for in people when he hires them: integrity, intelligence, and energy. Of these essential traits, according to Buffett, integrity comes first.

During his, 10% lecture to university students, he explains the importance of hiring staff with integrity.

“And it gets down to a bunch of qualities that, interestingly enough, are self-made. I mean it’s not how tall you are. It’s not whether you can kick a football 60 yards. It’s not whether you can run the 100 yard dash in 10 seconds. It’s not whether you’re the best looking person in the room.”

“We look for three things when we hire people. We look for intelligence, we look for initiative or energy, and we look for integrity. And if they don’t have the latter, the first two will kill you, because if you’re going to get someone without integrity, you want them lazy and dumb. I mean, you don’t want a spark of energy out of them.”

“And again, it isn’t the person with the lowest grades or anything of the sort. It’s the person who just doesn’t shape up in the character department.”

Source: Warren Buffett’s 10% Sermon