Compassionate Curmudgeon & Radical Business: Should CEO's Hire Their Own Staff?
Should CEO's Hire Their Own Staff?
A while ago, I sat in on a meeting with a pastor and a person who was starting a new church. The pastor pointed to the person's photo within his brochure. "This is the most important thing. You're going to attract people just like you," the pastor said. At the time, I found it profound and sad. In his own church, the pastor had identified young, married men as his target audience. However, the pastor was no longer a young, married man. Each week on stage, he would be the 'poster' for the type of people he would be attracting, and it wasn't his target audience; he would be attracting much older, "empty-nester" men. The other person in the meeting was more likely to attract young, married men.
At a leadership summit, this point was brought home by a very successful leader. "You don't attract the people you want to your organization; you attract the people you are," said Sam Adeyemi (Success is Who You Are). I've seen risk-adverse leaders attract and retain less bold/daring followers. Or you might attract the opposite. I've seen paternalistic, driving leaders attract and retain compliant followers. Driven followers could be too much like the leader and be viewed as competition. The leaders might attract them but they don't stay long.
maintain our sense of importance, power, control, etc.