High Agency, according to industry experts

Zero to One: Notes on startups, or how to build the future

The first time I came across the term high agency was in “Zero to One: Notes on startups, or how to build the future” by Peter Thiel. He talks about high agency as one of the most important traits for building successful companies and chasing big dreams. Essentially, it’s the mindset of someone who doesn’t just accept the world as it is but actively wants to change it. High agency involves taking initiative, solving problems without waiting to be asked, and creating your own path instead of following someone else’s.

Later on, while reading George Mack’s article on high agency, I found out it was actually Eric Weinstein, someone who worked for Thiel, who coined the term in 2016. Eric summed it up perfectly with this example:

“When you’re told that something is impossible, is that the end of the conversation, or does that start a second dialogue in your mind, how to get around whoever it is that’s just told you that you can’t do something? So, how am I going to get past this bouncer who told me that I can’t come into this nightclub? How am I going to start a business when my credit is terrible and I have no experience?”

What is high agency?

According to Keith Rabois, an early exec at PayPal and LinkedIn, high agency is about taking control instead of just going along with things. It’s that quality you notice in someone who seems to get things done, no matter the situation. It comes down to 3 things:

1. Seeing the real problem.
2. Doing something about it.
3. Being willing to go against the grain, even if others disagree.

Keith Rabois said:

“Finding people who can take an idea from conception to live and have it be almost perfect is incredibly difficult. This kind of person can pull others with them. They can charge up the hill, motivate their team, and edit themselves autonomously. Whenever you find someone like this, you should hire them instantly, regardless of whether you have the money or a role for them. Just close them.”

What people with high agency look like

People with high agency don’t sit around waiting, they act. They notice things, fix things, and find ways through. According to Jeff Bezos, they’re the sort you’d want in your corner if you were stuck in some backstreet jail in a country you’ve never heard of.

People with high agency usually:

• Follow unusual passions, even when young.
• Motivate others just by being around.
• Have interests you’d never expect.
• Make bold moves, like moving abroad.
• Share interesting stuff before it’s mainstream.
• Are honest when it matters, respectful when it doesn’t.
• Walk away from fancy jobs to follow what they care about.
• Question everything.
• Teach themselves tricky things.
• Push back and reframe the question if it doesn’t feel right.

Steve Jobs explained this mindset perfectly:

“When you grow up, you tend to get told that the world is the way it is and your life is just to live your life inside the world. Try not to bash into the walls too much. Try to have a nice family life, have fun, and save a little money. That’s a very limited life. Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact: Everything around you that you call life was made up by people who were no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it. Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again.”

How to Build It

1. Upgrade your mindset
   → No problem is truly impossible.
   → There’s no “right way”, so find your own way.
   → Don’t assume adults or systems are always right.
   → Normal fades, weird sticks.
   → Be courageous. This moment’s all you’ve got, use it.
2. Learn from others
   The Wright brothers had it. No training, no funding, no permission, just passion and persistence. They taught themselves everything and got that plane off the ground in 1903.
3. Avoid these traps
   → Nail down the details.
   → Act instead of analysing forever.
   → Don’t fall in love with your old ideas.
   → Simple often wins.
   → Break big things into small steps.
4. Make it real
   → Write down your values.
   → For each one, list 10 ways to actually live it.
   → Pick one, break it down into steps, and do something small today.
   → Do that every day.
   → That’s how you build momentum.

Interviewing and hiring the right people

John Wood, a former colleague of mine and now VP at GoCardless, says hiring should be a top priority for any manager. “Hiring is make or break.”

His advice:

1. Figure out which skills and traits matter most, things like high agency or product sense. High agency: takes ownership, is proactive, pushes through obstacles. Product sense: knows what makes a good product, understands user needs deeply, has good intuition for UX and design, prioritises features that bring real value.
2. Keep the number of interviews as low as possible while still getting clear signals. In my opinion, he’s saying: be respectful of people’s time, and learn how to read CVs properly. Going for quantity instead of quality can lead to candidate drop-off.
3. Don’t just take their word for it, test their actual skills. For example, ask them to use Amazon’s “Working Backwards” approach and write a press release for a fictional product your company might launch.
4. In competency interviews, go deep, not wide. Depth reveals how someone really thinks. Focus on one or two areas and explore them in depth. For example: “Tell me about a time you launched a product feature that didn’t go as planned?” Then follow up with: “What was your original hypothesis and how did you validate it?” and “What metrics were you tracking, and when did you realise things weren’t working?”
5. Tell candidates up front what you’re looking for. You’re not trying to catch them out. If you don’t tell them, how will they know what race they’re running?
6. Always leave plenty of time for questions. What candidates ask tells you a lot about them. Smart questions often reflect deep thinking and preparation. A lack of questions, or only generic ones, might signal low engagement or a lack of genuine interest.
7. Speed matters. A tight process helps you compete in a fierce market.

This is John’s definition of high agency:

“High agency is the trait that separates the people who make things happen from those who wait to be told what to do. High agency people have a strong sense of control over their lives and outcomes. They’re proactive. They take initiative. They set clear goals and go after them. They don’t freeze when challenges show up, they find a way through. They’re always looking to improve. And most importantly, they stay true to who they are and what they believe in.”

If you want to build a great product team, hire people with high agency.

If you haven’t read it yet, check out the full article here: https://www.highagency.com/ It’s a proper breakdown of what high agency looks like in real life. Worth a read 👍