The rock star. A luminous figure, because he or she is so incredibly talented. At the microphone, the electric guitar… or the computer keyboard in the office cubicle next door.
In my 20 years of leading knowledge work teams, I have hired a handful of “rock stars.” People who were unusually smart and talented. Their CVs were bursting with great achievements, big-name employers, or simply an unusual degree of skill.
And sometimes, I have to shamefully admit, I let myself get blinded by all of these shiny objects. I cut a hiring process short, thinking I had found a golden nugget, and welcomed them on board of my team.
After all, who would reject an applicant of such intelligence and accomplishment?
But whenever I gave in to this temptation, it always turned out to be a mistake. Every. Single. Time. Because rock stars are difficult to manage, difficult to integrate into a team, and difficult to work with. No amount of talent, skill, or fame can make up for these shortcomings.
In contrast, I believe that “being easy to work with” is an underrated quality. This is much more than a nice-to-have. Especially in knowledge work, where projects are way too complex for a single, heroic individual to be able to save the day (or the project). In such an environment, collaboration is the new gold, not heroic individualism.
We need to build trust, respect, and humility. Because these are the qualities that help us work together better. Even those rock star geniuses need to rely on their teammates in order to create a successful end result.
And there’s something else to keep in mind. I’ve seen it time and time again that someone improved their skills or even learned completely new ones. But I have yet to see that a new hire who showed a lack of character — rudeness, inconsideration, unreliability or just something simple as unpunctuality — overcame these shortcomings over time.
Skill can be improved and learned. Character, with only few exceptions, cannot.
Don’t forget what’s at stake: if someone is a bad collaborator, a rude communicator, or a reckless colleague, you’re running the risk of alienating a whole team. And no single person can be worth risking the integrity of a whole team. No matter how smart or accomplished they are.
I want to leave you with another, much simpler reason not to hire rock stars. Here’s a quote by bestselling author and management thinker Jim Collins:
“For no matter what we achieve, if we don’t spend the vast majority of our time with people we love and respect, we cannot possibly have a great life.”
I’ve made a firm decision that I don't want to work with rock stars. They make my life and the lives of my colleagues difficult. No matter how smart they may be: that’s a recipe for an unhappy life.
