Home › Leadership › Advice
Hire Those Who Know Better Than You
Leadership / Advice · Updated Apr 2026
Your job is to build a team that's collectively smarter than you.
The Idea
If you're the best at everything on your team, you've hired wrong. Hire people who are better than you in their area of expertise.
Why Leaders Resist This
- Insecurity. "If they're better, what's my value?"
- Control. "If they know more, they might disagree."
- Ego. It's comfortable being the expert.
Why It's Essential
- You can't be an expert in everything as a leader.
- Strong people attract other strong people.
- Your value as a leader isn't expertise - it's enabling others.
How to Do It
- Hire for strengths, not for lack of weakness.
- Be honest about your own gaps.
- In interviews, look for people who push back on your ideas.
- Create an environment where expertise is valued over hierarchy.
Related