In this episode of the Indian Business Podcast, we sit down with Kunal Shah, founder of CRED, to explore what truly sets high performers apart. We dive deep into his hiring philosophy, how to identify exceptional talent, what to look for beyond resumes, and why those who can explain clearly often lead better. Kunal also shares why the ability to articulate ideas is often a better predictor of success than raw intelligence, and how teaching what you learn creates compounding clarity. The conversation also unpacks the connection between learning and scaling, and why some of the smartest minds fail to grow simply because they can’t communicate. This is a rare masterclass in hiring, clarity, and building high-performance teams, straight from one of India’s sharpest founders.Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro 02:45 – What you’ll learn from the episode 04:16 – Kunal’s early life and financial issues 08:54 – How to learn sales today? 16:40 – How to handle feedback and judgment? 19:28 – Feedback Kunal got from a new employee 22:13 – Does culture depend on the founder? 24:30 – How culture spreads in a growing company? 30:41 – Cred’s values 38:19 – A players vs B players 41:02 – Ex-founders: wrong belief vs wrong market 48:05 – How to spot compounding employees? 53:41 – How to track compounding at work? 1:00:22 – Steps to grow steadily 1:06:33 – How to find a problem solver? 1:10:05 – Indian vs Western consumer behaviour 1:15:54 – How to get funding 1:22:51 – How to measure market size 1:27:19 – Selling to Indian consumers