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Recruiting Mythbusters continues with: Hire Only The Best

I overhear this every once in a while.  People sometimes drop this advice as with as much forethought as recommending a movie or a place to eat. 

The problem is, it makes sense on the surface, but when you dig deeper, it doesn't really hold water.  Here's three reasons why:

• Lake Wobegon Effect
• There is no "i" in "team"
• Ordinary people, with the right vision and purpose, will be extraordinary

Let me explain...

Lake Wobegon Effect:
Many companies who blanketly promote that they only hire the best will eventually fall victim to the Lake Wobegon Effect--or thinking that they are somehow better than others.

The Lake Wobegon effect is the human tendency to overestimate one's achievements and capabilities in relation to others. It is named for the fictional town of Lake Wobegon from the radio series A Prairie Home Companion, where, according to Garrison Keillor, "all the children are above average".  (Wikipedia)

This is a recipe for disaster.  The last thing you need are people running around your company patting themselves on the back.  The company that does that will be beaten by their less-intelligent, less-MBA-heavy, less-well-funded, less-connected, less-talented, less-professional competitors.

There is no "I" in "team"
I remember this emblazoned on the whitewashed cinder-block walls of my high school gym.  The message is still true.

• How many first-chair violinists do you need in an orchestra before it sounds good? 
• How many pro-bowl veteran wide-receivers do you need on a football team before the defensive-line gets any better?
• How many chairmans-of-the-board do you need before production costs go down in the Iowa warehouse?

The point is, how can you expect a cohesive, functioning team to come out of people who are all "the best"? 

Ordinary people, with the right vision and purpose, will be extraordinary
I know this is getting idealistic, but over and over again, the upstart, audacious 'punks' that have the fire in their belly to get out and make a difference in their industry seem to constantly topple the big, stable, "best" companies to work for.

• David vs. Goliath.
• Apple vs. IBM.
• Dell vs. Compaq.
• Skype vs. Every phone company in the world.

The bottom-line is that: 'Hiring the best people' is simply not a real way to make a meaningful contribution.

How about: Hire the people most-committed to achieving your mission & vision.  That is a whole different group of people.