Have you heard the tale of the semi-truck driver that thought he could clear the overpass? He didn’t, and the top of his truck’s container wedged against the bottom of the bridge. The truck couldn’t move. Traffic was backed up. Professionals were called in.

A number of hours were spent by engineers trying to figure out how they could lift the overpass. No obvious solution presented itself. Until a kid came along on his bike. He asked someone in a hard hat what was going on. After hearing about it, the kid asked, “Why don’t you just let some air out of the tires?”

I am a habitual overthinker. It’s not a confession that I am proud of. Sometimes I equate complex with brilliance. Often, it’s the simple that is wise, and the complex that is foolish.

In talking with a number of CEOs and CIOs, and in reading a lot of recent articles by my peers, I’m concerned that we are overthinking this whole hybrid work conversation.

Specifically, companies are addressing whether to permit hybrid work, how to structure it, and what to look for in employees to ensure that hybrid is their best work environment. I am watching a lot of mental gymnastics, and I’m not seeing any perfect scores.

Why? Because we are complicating a simple process that has been proven over thousands of years of human history. Namely, we as humans are incredible at adapting. We figure out a way; more, we do better if we are left to figure out a way rather than just follow a way.

Let’s think about this: Work is work. There is a job to be done, and there are certain tools and environments for it to be done with and in. Get it done.

This is the core of work. Now, we have made it into quite a system, but in the end, there is a task to be done and a person to do it (and team, etc).

How do you know if you have the person who will get it done? The answer isn’t in the tool or the environment. It’s in the person. The right person finds a way. Certainly, tools, environments and resources are important, especially for sustainability and retention. But stay with me, because I don’t want us to veer into the complex quite yet.

If you decide that hybrid is the most effective strategy for your company, then who do you want to bring onto the team who will excel in hybrid work?

In his book, The Ideal Team Player, Patrick Lencione identifies three qualities your employees must have: They must be hungry, humble and smart.

As I considered his arguments, I realized that those three qualities are essential for remote and hybrid workers particularly.

• Hungry: self-motivated, self-starting, doing more than is required without doing more than is healthy.
• Humble: life-long learner, willing to take direction and probing for insight, and the recognition that every person I meet knows something that I do not, and I will search until I find it.
• Smart: ability to relate well to people, bridge needs and context to solutions, and think alongside multiple perspectives.

Lencione argues that you need to find people who fit the bill for each quality. As expected, some behavioral questions will draw out the evidence you need for the confidence to hire.

Hungry

• What has been the most difficult project you have ever had to complete?
• Tell me about a situation in which you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done.
• Give me an example of when you have had to work under pressure.
• What have you done in the past year to improve your skills or performance?

Humble

• Discuss a time when your integrity was challenged. How did you handle it?
• Give me an example of how you have worked effectively with people to accomplish an important result.
• When have you made a sacrifice to improve yourself?
• Tell me about a mistake you made. What did you learn from your mistake?

Smart

• Describe a situation where you had to work with a difficult person. How was the person difficult and how did you handle it?
• Give an example of when you had to resolve a conflict with a co-worker or client. How did you resolve it?
• Describe a time when you were criticized. How did you deal with it?
• Tell me about a time you had to work on a project that did not work out the way it should have. What did you do?

Show me the person who is 3 for 3 in these areas, and I will introduce you to the person who will thrive in a hybrid environment. They are hungry enough to figure out a way, humble enough to seek help along the way, and smart enough to overcome challenges along the way.