Jeff went to Clare and prepped her for the conversation she would be having with Ted in ten minutes.
“I certainly don't think he's lazy or dispassionate,” Jeff explained. “So there aren't any questions about hunger.”
Clare completed the thought. “And he knows how to read people and get them to like him, so he's definitely smart enough. Which means that humility is the only question, and it sounds like he hasn't done anything to make us think—”
Jeff interrupted her. “No, he hasn't. But he hasn't done anything to make me think he is humble, either.”
Clare frowned. “What would that look like?”
“I don't know. In fact, I'm not exactly sure what humility is.”
Clare smiled. “Well, that might be a small problem.”
Jeff agreed. “I know. It's just that humility is a tricky thing. How do you know if a person is just really smart and knows how to present himself like he's humble? It's not just about avoiding being an overtly arrogant person. I mean, how many people brag about themselves all the time and are openly condescending to others?”
“I know a few,” Clare said.
“So do I,” said Jeff, “but most of them aren't interviewing for jobs like this.” He thought about it for a second. “Or better yet, most of them wouldn't make it past the first ten minutes of an interview. They're easy to spot.”
Clare agreed. “Yeah, the subtle ones are the most dangerous.”
“Which is why we need to be really, really careful—almost paranoid—about this when we're hiring someone so senior in the company.”
Clare closed her door. “So, it sounds like you're having doubts about Ted then.”
Jeff shook his head. “I don't know if it's doubt. But I don't have anything close to confirmation yet that he's our guy.”
“You mean, that he's humble.”
“Yeah. That's my only question,” Jeff confirmed.
At that moment there was a knock on the door, and Kim popped her head in.
“Should I send Ted in?”
Clare took a breath. “No, I'll come get him.” She looked at Jeff and smiled. “I have an idea. Let's see what I can figure out.”