Clearly if you’re going to embark on big (and unpaid) projects with people, it helps if they have
Competence
Remember – competence is a social phenomenon. It is hard for an eagle to soar when surrounded by turkeys. If your top talent is having to self-censor, or do their own secretariat, or is a crab pulled back into the bucket, then you have trouble.
Remember – competence can be very specific. A good public speaker may be a lousy interviewee and vice versa.
Remember – skills decay.
Availability
How much? When? Their time? Their energy? What?
People who are both competent and reliable are probably not available – they’ve either started in on their own project or been snapped up by someone else
Reliability
Someone can be competent at a task, and “available” (they have set aside the time, or say that they have) but fundamentally need reminding/chivvying/remotivating etc. And if you can’t or won’t do those things, then the person is not “reliable”.
All of these are shifting definitions, and someone who is at one time all three may not be at a later date. Life happens, shit happens. But someone who respects themselves and the tasks that they have combined with others to undertake, will flag the changes…
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