Jamie Dimon has run JPMorgan Chase for nearly two decades, building it into the largest and most profitable bank in the United States. Ask him what the most important part of his job is, and he'll give the same answer every time: people.
"The most important thing I do as CEO is people. Full stop. If you get the people right, everything else follows."
Dimon's approach to talent is more hands-on than virtually any other Fortune 50 CEO. He personally reviews the top several hundred leaders at JPMorgan every year — not a rubber-stamp exercise, but a weeks-long process where he discusses each person's trajectory, development needs, and next move. He knows his top 200 people personally: their strengths, their ambitions, their families.
"I hire athletes, not specialists. The person who has done three things and excelled at all of them is more valuable than the person who has only done one."
His hiring philosophy centers on versatility. He actively moves his best people across functions — from operations to risk to running a business line — because the leaders who thrive in multiple roles are the ones he trusts with the biggest jobs. Deep specialization is valuable, but it's not what makes an executive.
"I know my top 200 people personally. You cannot make good people decisions based on a resume and a 45-minute interview."
For external hires, Dimon's process is exhaustive. He talks to at least ten people who have worked with a candidate — not the references they provide, but people he finds. He's specifically listening for consistency: does everyone describe the same person? When the story changes dramatically depending on who's telling it, Dimon considers that the most reliable red flag there is.