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> being very selective about employee number 2-49. After that it's out of your hands. Indeed. There's an old saying that A-level people hire A-level people, bu
by dreamcompiler 1y ago
> being very selective about employee number 2-49. After that it's out of your hands.
Indeed. There's an old saying that A-level people hire A-level people, but B-level people hire C-level people.
Obviously this is too simplistic: How do any B-level people get there in the first place? But there's still some truth to the idea that the overall talent level of a company tends to degrade as it gets larger unless very unusual structures are in place to work against that tendency.
- NoMoreNicksLeft 1y agoThat's just a plain scaling issue, isn't it though? Eventually, the supply of A-level people dries up, no matter the compensation offered. If growth is to continue, B-level people must be hired.
- dreamcompiler 1y agoYes A-level people are rare and expensive. The mistake I see too often is companies not focusing on keeping their core revenue-generating team A-level. Put the B-level people in support roles. When you dilute the core revenue team with B- and C-level people, the As tend to leave and then you're in big trouble.
- crmd 1y agoThe quote is from Steve Jobs and is absolutely true. As soon as the first bozo infects your team, they will start hiring other bozos, and after a while your org has regressed to the mean. Therefore you should hold a ridiculously high bar for hiring. A temporarily empty seat is preferable to a non-A player.
- CaptainOfCoit 1y ago> If growth is to continue Maybe this is the crux of the issue.
- NoMoreNicksLeft 1y agoFor a small company, for one still trying to find its business model, growth is absolutely necessary. The alternative is lost investment, and everyone out of work.
- jtbayly 1y agoThe saying I’ve heard is about students, but similar enough and different enough o quote here: “The A students work for the B students and the C students become federal judges.”