HOW WE THINK ABOUT TALENT

1. We lean into being small.

As a boutique operation ourselves, we champion small.

We manage each asset as its own individual operation, building dedicated maintenance teams, often prioritizing solopreneurs. 

Bureaucracy is virtually non-existent and the impact of a person’s work is easily measurable.

It’s a work environment where people hold a lot more responsibility for their work, and it’s very hard to hide poor workmanship.

And we always try to have solid back-ups.

When clearly communicated upfront, this naturally filters out people who don’t thrive in this type of work environment. And on the off chance we make a bad hire, it’s evident early on and can be rectified quickly.

2.  We hire for smart, raw talent, over experience.

Experience without talent is rigid, full of bias, slow to adapt, and it isn’t very valuable.  

On the other hand, just like in professional sports, a rookie with exceptional talent can be an all-star.

That’s why we’re open to non-traditional resumes and backgrounds, and prefer to let a person’s work speak for itself.

One of the best videographers I’ve worked with used to be an investment banker in the mining industry, and now their client list includes names like Cadillac, Nespresso, and Fairmount (to name a few). And some of the best property caretakers we found have been on their second or third career change. 

Ultimately, we look for ‘rockstars’ who found their calling. People who are passionate, take pride in what they do, are exceptional at it, and have no plans but to keep improving their craft.

3.  We value and practice radical transparency. 

It’s what builds trust. It’s also what strengthens it over time, and it’s extremely efficient too.

We require that every work order be documented with undeniable visual proof.

But it’s not a micromanagement thing, we don’t tell our people how to do their job.

We do, however, request that people communicate to us what needs to be done before they do it, and then again when it’s done, every time, without fail. And that if anything pops up outside of the normal scope of work is reported to and approved by the dedicated on-call executive before commencing.

That way, if something comes up that we’ve seen and/or dealt with it before at another property, we can provide appropriate advice to help make the job easier, or learn something new that is proven to be better.

Anyone who is not comfortable with this working relationship is most likely to be filtered out of our research and recruitment process.

4. Apprenticeship, collaboration.

We are constant learners.

We learn from operating luxury vacation homes all around the world, because we learn from our people.

And although local bias can be a significant distraction, we NEVER ignore it.

What we’ve learned works well in one market, can be implemented into another, and vice versa - OR NOT.

And that’s why we treat every property team member as a true collaborator. 

We seek to learn as much from our local team members as we hope to provide in return (financial compensation and otherwise).

Everything operational is shared among the entire JL team, so that multiple intelligent heads can record, share and learn from as much relevant information as possible.

Our systems are built on mutual respect, and collaboration with an apprenticeship mentality.

As the principal of our firm, or a housekeeper in Costa Rica, we are all human, and people rely on valuable support and feedback to learn, grow, and be our best selves.