One quality we look for in candidates is the demonstrated ability to learn quickly. This might sound obvious, but it isn't. At least, it wasn't to us initially.

At early-stage companies, there's a lot to do but those needs are also changing quickly. When you hire someone, you have a pretty good idea of what their first year will look like in terms of what you need them to do. Looking more than a year out, you're largely guessing, but you still need that hire to be the right person.

Isn't "hire people who love to learn" obvious advice? Isn't this something every company prioritizes? No. When hiring, there are a huge number of variables and you can't optimize them all. Additionally, not everyone who loves to learn is a great learner.

Whether learning ability is a quality any given company should prioritize depends heavily on the company's rate of change. If there is little change and job roles can be well defined, other qualities may be more important.