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Anecdotal, but: Once when I was interviewed, I was almost rejected by the interviewer because it seemed like I had been programming for longer than he had been

Anecdotal, but: Once when I was interviewed, I was almost rejected by the interviewer because it seemed like I had been programming for longer than he had been (he was thinking out loud). When he realized he'd started at a younger age, and had maybe a year on me, he decided it WAS OK, that he did have "more experience." He's a smart guy, but I've always wondered at that -- wouldn't it be BETTER to hire people smarter than you, rather than the alternative?

001sky 13y ago
Its important to distinguish (a) talent from (b) rank. The latter is best thought of as Rank=f(talent, experience). It never makes sense to hire the wrong rank, or to invert the rank in a junior/senior reporting role. Hiring top talent is really a separate qustion, but its implied that A players with a lead in experience will outdistance A player of lesser experience...as they both acquire experience linearly together.[1] [1] Hence you are more likely to successfully hire and incorporate A talent only if you have it to begin with. Senior rank B talent struggles when junior experience A talent is aquired. The benefit of increasing experience accrues disporportionately to the higher talent A, and eventually a rank conflict ensues as the Junior A group catch up and surpass the (previously) Senior B's. A messy promotion/re-organiztion situation typically ensues.
- SomeCallMeTim 13y ago
  Interesting point. We certainly did end up clashing in the years we worked together, as I am not shy in expressing my opinions about what needs to be done. It came to a head at one point, and the result was a reorg so that he was no longer my direct supervisor; I threatened to walk if the situation continued. The manager I reported to next wasn't particularly higher "rank", by your f(), since I had at least equivalent talent and more experience, but he was comfortable with the relationship(instead of acting like he felt threatened by it), and as such made a much better manager.
Turing_Machine 13y ago
'Steve [Jobs] believed that A players hire A players—that is people who are as good as they are. I refined this slightly—my theory is that A players hire people even better than themselves. It’s clear, though, that B players hire C players so they can feel superior to them, and C players hire D players. If you start hiring B players, expect what Steve called “the bozo explosion” to happen in your organization.' — Guy Kawasaki

001sky 13y ago

Its important to distinguish (a) talent from (b) rank. The latter is best thought of as Rank=f(talent, experience). It never makes sense to hire the wrong rank, or to invert the rank in a junior/senior reporting role. Hiring top talent is really a separate qustion, but its implied that A players with a lead in experience will outdistance A player of lesser experience...as they both acquire experience linearly together.[1] [1] Hence you are more likely to successfully hire and incorporate A talent only if you have it to begin with. Senior rank B talent struggles when junior experience A talent is aquired. The benefit of increasing experience accrues disporportionately to the higher talent A, and eventually a rank conflict ensues as the Junior A group catch up and surpass the (previously) Senior B's. A messy promotion/re-organiztion situation typically ensues.

SomeCallMeTim 13y ago
Interesting point. We certainly did end up clashing in the years we worked together, as I am not shy in expressing my opinions about what needs to be done. It came to a head at one point, and the result was a reorg so that he was no longer my direct supervisor; I threatened to walk if the situation continued. The manager I reported to next wasn't particularly higher "rank", by your f(), since I had at least equivalent talent and more experience, but he was comfortable with the relationship(instead of acting like he felt threatened by it), and as such made a much better manager.

Turing_Machine 13y ago

'Steve [Jobs] believed that A players hire A players—that is people who are as good as they are. I refined this slightly—my theory is that A players hire people even better than themselves. It’s clear, though, that B players hire C players so they can feel superior to them, and C players hire D players. If you start hiring B players, expect what Steve called “the bozo explosion” to happen in your organization.' — Guy Kawasaki