A billionaire CEO advises that throughout your career, strive to be both types of workers.

Jay Chaudhry has had occasion to hire many people.

The 66-year-old entrepreneur has founded five different companies, including cybersecurity company SecureIT, which he co-founded with his wife in 1996 and sold for $70 million in stock in 1998. He also founded Zscaler, a cybersecurity company that has a market cap of $24.13 billion as of Wednesday. Currently, he serves as the CEO of Zscaler, which employs more than 7,000 people. As a result of his successful ventures, Chaudhry's net worth is now estimated to be $9 billion, according to Forbes.

To ascertain if a prospective employee will be a suitable addition to his team, Chaudhry frequently poses a pivotal question to himself: "Are you a constructor or an overseer?"

Both types of workers have their own unique functions and reasons for being valuable in a career.

Builders are comfortable with chaos

Builders thrive in startup, free-flowing environments.

He argues that startups thrive due to an abundance of passion and minimal structure, in contrast to the rigid hierarchies found in large corporations. In startups, communication is informal and relies heavily on personal interactions, rather than formal channels. This flexibility is highly valued by entrepreneurs.

"Builders can help a company grow by scaling, but they must be curious and ongoing learners because in younger companies, there are many things to be figured out."

Operators like clear processes

Operators, on the other hand, work better in bigger companies.

Operators prefer a more structured, well-defined environment, as big companies often have more systems in place to ensure their many employees work together harmoniously.

Ultimately, the ability to build, inspire, and scale teams is what's important for them.

People who can do both are 'rare'

Building something from the ground up requires a different set of skills than managing a billion-dollar business, but both are essential for success.

Ultimately, both types of work offer opportunities for personal growth.

Operators can learn scaling and processing by working in a large company, but builders can flex their creativity and adapt by working as a builder.

"It's rare to have individuals capable of performing both tasks, according to him."

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