Hire Smart People not Yes People

As some may know I am currently finishing my Masters in Business Administration in Marketing but the downfall in going back to school is that I have to open old fears like my fear of finance. So let’s get this straight I’m not afraid of finance it just doesn’t “click” with me. With two sisters talented enough to be CFOs I know where my limit is and finance is it. I’ll still probably end up with a “B” hopefully in this class but I will not be sending my resume into any financial firms for trader jobs anytime soon.

There is one thing that I have learned in my 12+ years in the job pool and that is I’m not always going to be the smartest one in the room on every subject. A chief executive officer I met in college(over 12 years ago) was discussing with me what it takes to run a company. He said the thing that made him the most successful was the fact that everyone that works for him is smarter than him in some way. Basically since we may not know everything, we need other smart people that can fill in the blanks. Surround yourself with smart people so that when the going gets tough there is more than one brain in room thinking. Too many times I see managers hire people that are well below the skill level of the manager. I don’t know if these managers need to feel important or may feel threatened but I do know that they hurt their companies by making these poor decisions. I want to hire people that can teach me new things or people that aspire to grow because those are the people that bring talent to the table. This doesn’t mean hire the “aggressive type” that is out for your job because that will create unwanted conflict. Besides in my opinion most of the time those “aggressive types” aren’t smarter they are just more scheming and end up hurting team interactions.

My sister, a respected upper manager for a large banking firm put it as simple as this. “If your people can function without you because they’re smart enough to make the correct decisions then you are more promotable.” It makes sense that if a department under your management falls apart when you take a vacation then how can the company promote you without adversely affecting the department and the company. My proudest moments as a manager have been when I cross that threshold with a department. When I realize that I am no longer needed for day to day items is when I know I’ve done something right. If you build your team out of smart people then their solutions will drive a business, product or service forward.

So the next time your staring down an interviewee ask yourself what can he/she bring to the table and can they teach me something new. Don’t hire the next “yes” person hire the right person even if their smarter.