There is a common piece of wisdom that is basically, “If you really want to grow your business you need to hire people who are smarter than you”.
While well intentioned this advice is potentially the worst
advice you could apply to your business.
It limits the discussion to intelligence and narrows your
thinking.
Why Smart?
What if you are really, really smart? Who would you hire
then?
And if you are not all that smart you can safely hire anyone.
Do really smart people outperform less smart people in all
roles?
How will you determine smart?
What about all those people with less than stellar smarts who achieved
great things?
Are really smart people always highly motivated? Honest?
Hard working? Meticulous?
Happy?
Are we talking book smarts, practical smarts or social smarts?
Are we ignoring wisdom? Empathy? Persistence?
You get it.
Hire The Best Fit
Far better advice is to hire the best person for the role. The best fit.
And don’t be lazy figuring out what “best” is or in looking
for the right match.
Don't be afraid to hire people who are better than you at what needs to get done. Hey, they might even be smarter. But raw intelligence is not the only valuable talent.
Know when they don't need to be better than you at something; you will pay more for best.
Remember fit and attitude count for a lot. You can train and develop skills to make people better.
People in the "best fit" are generally happier in their work.
Consider:
- You.
- The organization as a whole.
- Where you are going.
- The role.
- The person filling the role.
Hire for best fit. That is the smart thing to do.
