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- Stop Looking for Superstars
Stop Looking for Superstars
Jon Matzner
August 04, 2024
We're all addicted to the idea of the irreplaceable superstar.
The 10x developer!
The rainmaker sales rep!
The rockstar Chief of Staff!
We chase these unicorns…these rare individuals who seem to possess almost magical abilities.
We convince ourselves that if we could just find and hire enough of these people, our organization would finally start working right!
But here's the thing…betting your organization's future on a handful of exceptional individuals is a losing strategy.
It's a gamble that rarely pays off in the long run.
Why?
When you build your company around irreplaceable individuals, you create fragility.
What happens when your star player burns out, gets poached by a competitor, or simply has a bad month?
The entire system can come crashing down.
I've had this happen to me before, and it sucks.
Instead, focus on lowering the bar.
This might sound counterintuitive, even heretical in a world obsessed with "top talent."
But bear with me.
Not in terms of quality or output, but in terms of the skill required to succeed in a role.
The goal is to create an environment where good becomes great, where solid becomes stellar.
Create systems that empower ordinary people to do extraordinary work. This means investing in processes, tools, and infrastructures that amplify human potential. It's about creating an environment where everyone can excel, not the "one in a million hire".
Justin
Justin Ishbia (has acquired more than 1,000 mom-and-pop shops across the country…at an average cost: $15 million… said a great line on this podcast:
“The System is the Star”
WELL SAID.
I've never owned or built companies where I could attract or pay TOP ONE PERCENT OF ONE PERCENT… but I wanted to do great work anyway.
So…
Build processes that turn B-players into A-performers.
Mold talent rather than just hunt for it.
This approach scales.
Unlike the "superstar" model, which hits natural limits (there are only so many "100x developers" in the world), a system-based approach can grow with your organization.
You're not limited by the number of exceptional individuals you can attract and retain.
It's robust.
When your success doesn't hinge on a few key players, you're insulated against the inevitable ups and downs of individual performance.
Your organization becomes more than the sum of its parts.
By developing a broad base of talent rather than relying on a few stars, you're creating multiple options for success.
Here's the wrong question: "How do we find more superstars?"
Here's the right question: "How do we build a system where everyone can shine?"
This shift in perspective opens up new possibilities and approaches to talent management and organizational design.
That's how you create real, lasting change.
Not through the heroic efforts of a few exceptional individuals, but through the collective growth of your whole team.
It's a slower burn…perhaps less exciting than landing that superstar hire…but it's the path to long-term success.
Yallah Habibi,
Jon
Passage of the Week:
The Proust Questionnaire has its origins in a parlor game popularized (though not devised) by Marcel Proust, the French essayist and novelist, who believed that, in answering these questions, an individual reveals his or her true nature.
Here is the basic Proust Questionnaire.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
What is your greatest fear?
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Which living person do you most admire?
What is your greatest extravagance?
What is your current state of mind?
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
On what occasion do you lie?
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
Which living person do you most despise?
What is the quality you most like in a man?
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
When and where were you happiest?
Which talent would you most like to have?
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
Where would you most like to live?
What is your most treasured possession?
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
What is your favorite occupation?
What is your most marked characteristic?
What do you most value in your friends?
Who are your favorite writers?
Who is your hero of fiction?
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Who are your heroes in real life?
What are your favorite names?
What is it that you most dislike?
What is your greatest regret?
How would you like to die?
What is your motto?