Build a Team That Outgrows You.

Most organizations say they want “top talent.”

But their hiring decisions tell a different story.

There’s a quiet pattern I’ve seen:

Leaders are hiring people just a little less experienced. A little less confident.

A little less likely to challenge. It feels safe. Until you look at the shape of the organization.

It starts to resemble Russian dolls. Each layer is slightly smaller than the last.

Each decision quietly shrinks the capability. Each hire reinforces the leader’s comfort—not the organization’s growth.

And over time?

You don’t build depth.

You build dependency.

David Ogilvy said it best:

“If each of us hires people who are smaller than we are, we shall become a company of dwarfs. But if each of us hires people who are bigger than we are, we shall become a company of giants.”

Great leaders don’t stack smaller versions of themselves.

They do the opposite. They surround themselves with people who:

•⁠ ⁠Think sharper

•⁠ ⁠Challenge faster

•⁠ ⁠See further

Because they understand something fundamental:

Leadership isn’t about being the smartest person in the room. It’s about building a room that outgrows you.