Why you don’t always want to hire ‘the best’
One minute briefing: Too many stars can make a dysfunctional constellation, says Cantab Capital Partners founder Ewan Kirk.
If you want a remarkable business, you need remarkable people, right? It’s a sensible-enough hypothesis that has led to a widespread obsession with recruiting ‘talent’.
The problem is, talent isn’t fixed, like height. Our abilities depend intimately on what we’re doing, where and with whom. Even if you can successfully filter candidates for excellence in the skills you’ve deemed most important, there’s no guarantee they will form effective teams with your other superstars.
Experience has taught Ewan Kirk, founder of Cantab Capital Partners and a judge of the upcoming Management Today Business Awards, that successful recruitment requires a more nuanced approach.
