4 ms·
as a fellow skeptic, this oversteps. your mistake is that smart = value. connections do have value, as does experience and other leadership qualities than domai
by swyx 4y ago
as a fellow skeptic, this oversteps. your mistake is that smart = value. connections do have value, as does experience and other leadership qualities than domain expertise. your criticisms will be stronger if you recognize this.
- doctor_eval 4y agoYes - this is the problem. I worked at a company that was relatively successful because of the connections the CEO brought to the table. Objectively, the company would have been far less stressful to work at - and more profitable - if we had a better leader, but it wouldn’t have existed without his connections.
- knightofmars 4y agoYou're lucky the CEO had connections that somewhat panned out. I've experienced the "connections" based C-suite hire that was a complete and total net negative. It took 3 years for the removal to happen. It was a painful 3 years.
- doctor_eval 4y agoYes, to be clear the CEO was also a founder, so he didn't just parachute in. I have, unfortunately, also seen something similar to your experience. This is why hiring for a role like that is tricky. I want to say for the record I also once hired an awesome CEO who was humble, sincere, reasonable - and very effective. We're still friends after 25+ years.
- smeagull 4y agoConnections have value, but that value can easily be negative.