Why hiring people better than you is good for your career...
Stephanie Brown
Marketing Career Coach ????♀?Helping ambitious Marketers and Creatives identify their career purpose and land their next perfect role faster ?? Ex-Nike & Apple ? Apply to join the Creative Career Level Up ?? Link below
Last week, a client came to me experiencing something we all experience - Imposter Syndrome. She had been given a massive promotion. And along with it the responsibility to build a team.
Problem is, she didn’t feel confident in her new role. Her role was growing with the company and whilst she wanted the role, she felt out of her depth.?
Then she thought about hiring her team. And something struck her: she may end up hiring people that are so good they could do her job.
And then she would be ‘found out’. It struck panic in her.?
The very real fear
Hiring people who are ‘better’ then you is a problem so many of us face in our careers.?
On the one hand, you want to hire a great bunch of people so that your team is a success. But on the other hand it is human nature to fear that if you hire someone better than you, they may try to take your job!?
It’s all about the culture you create
Where you sit on that spectrum of fear really depends on the culture of the workplaces you have been in. If you were in a workplace where people were clambering all over each other to succeed, I can see why you might have that fear.
My experience is the opposite. I ‘grew up’ in a work environment that encouraged leaders to build high performing teams AND to train someone up to take their job. The idea being that once you were ready to move on to your next role, that person you trained would be ready to step up.
The culture was positive and encouraged personal growth. It was not about ‘stealing’ jobs but about building a culture where people knew there was room for growth in the company and that senior leaders were dedicated to help their teams improve.
Why you should hire people better than you
So the idea of hiring people ‘better’ than me, or training someone up to take my job when I moved on, was never something I feared.
Here’s a few reasons why I think it works well:
1. Your team is happier when they know there is room for growth
Human beings love growth. It’s in our DNA. The most common career challenge people bring me is ‘feeling stuck’. And feeling stuck is usually a feeling that there is no longer growth in the role you are doing.
If your team can see a clear path to the next thing, you will have a happier, more motivated team.
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2. They make you look good
I once had a PR Manager in my team who was so talented that she made me look good EVERY SINGLE DAY! Every time she gave me updates on her work, she was crushing it. On top of that, she loved helping shape the direction of where the brand was going, over and above her job in PR.
I always credited her with so much of the success our team was having. I never claimed her work as my own. But her great work, along with the rest of my talented team, made us all look good. Success can be shared. It’s not a zero sum game.?
3. You can learn from them
You don’t always have to be learning from the people above you. Some of the biggest growth I had as a leader was learning from people in my team. Not only do they have great skills and ideas to share but they also require a different type of leadership to keep them motivated. It's a skill in itself to hire and build a kick ass team.?
At the end of the day, if you are surrounded by a talented high performing team, they make you a better leader.?
Don’t be afraid to hire people ‘better’ than you
I’ll give you the same advice I gave my client when she came to me last week - don’t be afraid to hire people who are ‘better’ than you.?
If you are in a positive, personal growth-focused company, there should be no concerns that they might try to steal your job.
And if you AREN’T in a positive, personal growth-focused company, then take a look at the details below…because I think it is time to make a move!?
If you are NOT currently in a positive, personal growth-focused company and would like to make a move into one, then the Creative Career Level Up might be the right solution for you.?
Check out more details, including testimonials, on our website here
Or use the link below to schedule a chat about whether the programme is right for you.
—— To your next perfect role (whatever it may be!)
Steph
Business Development | Brand Management | Creative Marketing | Collaboration Partnerships
5 个月Stephanie Brown I was lucky to learn this lesson really early. I was 11-12 and when we would take ski bus up to the mountains There was age Range from 10 to 16 and I would always start my day by riding with the older people, and I did it because I would learn so much more from them than riding with my age group. Well my friends in my age group felt slighted by this I guess, that was my first lesson in surrounding yourself by people that are better than you and whatever discipline it is that you are pursuing. Now fast forward 25+ years and I have definitely felt that I wasn’t given the opportunity I was pursuing because of what you just described. Being perceived as a threat. What you said about having a culture of supporting your team and being humble enough to learn from others is so spot on. Now I just gotta figure out how to not be perceived that way. I don’t know if that means I should dump myself down or… You really hit the nail on the head on this one thank you so much. Here’s to being able to learn from anybody and everybody no matter what their scholastic achievements are etc. ??????
Love this article. You make a very great point Stephanie it is about the company you are in or come from that makes the leader feel comfortable with hiring people "better" than them for sure. If you come from a background of companies that focus on career development and building high performing teams this will be your natural instinct if you don't then I can definitely see how this would feel scary for sure. I love all 3 of your points, they are SO true and I have experienced them in my own career.
??Your perspective on the value of hiring skilled individuals reflects a commitment to personal and professional growth within organizations. ? Thanks for sharing! Stephanie Brown
I help mid-to-senior level sales and HR professionals land their dream jobs at top-tier companies without sending 100s of applications | DM "SUCCESS" for FREE strategy session | Career Coach | former Amazon Recruiter
5 个月Being surrounded by people with more experience might be intimidating, but it can be also inspiring and motivating! ?
Managing the hiring process for SME’s, without using agencies ??
5 个月I completely agree. Having people that know more than you, isn’t a bad thing. I can understand the insecurities - you’d be afraid of them outshining you. But that doesn’t mean you’re not good at what you do. It just means they’re good at what they do.