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As a CEO or other high-level manager or executive, what do you believe your role is? Is it your job to do everything yourself? Do you issue ironclad orders that your teammates are expected to carry out without question?
In the healthcare industry and elsewhere, many executives appear to assemble teams with members who are chosen for their malleability and their ability to fall in line with the leader's vision. Candidates who have some level of expertise are always a plus, and if they can be hired at an attractive salary, at least from the organization's viewpoint, that is all the better.
However, there are strong arguments supporting an approach that favors hiring only candidates who are absolute experts in their chosen area. These candidates are whip-smart and sought-after. Why? Because these people know their jobs better than most.
Moreover, an astute, experienced individual is the candidate who is more likely to have innovative ideas and the dedication to see them through. They also aren't afraid to voice objections when they see that the leader or the organization is about to take a misstep. Teams that are built this way deliver better healthcare outcomes.
Of course, the concept of a leader hiring people who are smarter than they are isn't restricted to the healthcare industry. Any organization can benefit when it focuses on attracting top-quality candidates who are genuinely interested in seeing the organization, and in turn themselves, succeed. When leaders focus on hiring candidates with diverse skill sets who know more about their specific field than even the leader might, the benefits for the organization and its employees multiply.
Accelerate Growth with Smarter Employees in Every Department
The goal of any business venture is to turn a profit, and this cannot be accomplished without progress. Above all, you want to hire people who are smarter than you because they can drive this growth.
Consider it this way: Ideally, your company forms a group of people who are united in a common purpose. To achieve this objective, the skills and insight of people in many different specialties are required. The company that functions the best is the one that takes full advantage of each individual's strength. This means that each person's responsibilities and strengths are respected as well.
Accordingly, it is possible for the team members to innovate, taking the responsibility for new products and processes in their hands. It is the manager's role to foster an atmosphere that is supportive and ensures that each team member has the tools they need to succeed.
Hiring Smart People Promotes an Independent Team that Wants to Excel
When you are hiring personnel, do you want someone whose hand you'll have to hold for the entirety of their tenure or a bold and confident professional who genuinely takes ownership of their role?
The smart leader wants the latter individual. This is the worker who gets things done, completing projects and efficiently moving on to the next. Perhaps more importantly, this is the employee who seeks ways to make things better. This is the employee who asks how things can be done more efficiently, with less waste and with a better end product.
This is the employee who you as the leader can trust to act decisively and with the organization's best interests at heart. Accordingly, you are free to fulfill the other functions of your role.
Perhaps the greatest outcome of hiring these smart, independent employees is that they will one day become leaders too. As they assume management for other teams, your organization becomes even more productive.
Encouraging a Culture of Creativity and Collaboration
Is it more effective to pit your employees against each other in a contest to see which of them can do the most or to bear in mind that it is the other organizations in your industry that are your real competition?
It is not unusual for leaders to foster a competitive atmosphere among their workers. Unfortunately, these efforts frequently backfire. After all, is it really important which of your employees is able to make the most contacts, get the most contracts signed, or otherwise close the deals that are the life's blood of your business?
What really matters is that the organization succeeds as a whole. When this happens, it is a certain sign that the employees are succeeding too. They don't need to see themselves as combatants fighting it out to be the last one standing. Instead, it is the leader's job to create an atmosphere in which creativity and collaboration are valued. When you hire people who are smarter than you, fostering this atmosphere is easier. These are employees who are ready to own their responsibilities. They want to shine in their roles and make their teams look better in doing so.
Smart Employees Solve Problems
Leaders may be smart, but this doesn't mean they have all the answers. You have a skill set that is a valuable asset to your company. Ideally, so does each of your employees.
Each one of your team members should possess insight and expertise that you have not had the opportunity to acquire. When a problem arises, you have the advantage of being able to draw upon the strengths and skills of numerous professionals who all have the goal of problem-solving in mind. These are the professionals upon whom you can rely to provide smart and innovative solutions that you could never have arrived at if you were given years to do so.
Leaders have a responsibility to hire people who are smarter than them in myriad ways. It is a humbling process, but also an essential one. Without the diversity of professional expertise, it is more difficult to solve problems, foster innovative new ideas, and ensure better success for your company, employees, and clients.
