The Lake Wobegon Company

One of the joys of being on Twitter is that you stumble upon all sorts of exciting ideas.  Some of the most newsworthy items come from the Harvard Business Review.  This week, Bill Taylor posted two thought-provoking blogs discussing talent inflation in the technology business.  In short CEOs in Silicon Valley will pay big bucks for the correct engineering talent. 

As Mark Zuckerberg said in the article ((snip)):

"Someone who is exceptional in their role is not just a little better than someone who is pretty good," he argued when asked why he was willing to pay $47 million to acquire FriendFeed, a price that translated to about $4 million per employee. "They are 100 times better."

In other words, dad’s teach your kids SQL because they have a good chance to make as much money as a Major League closer. 

I am deeply conflicted about this.  I do not have Zuckerberg’s money.  I also am starting from a very different place than he did.  As I grow my company, I need to hire good people because if I don’t, it will affect the quality of my customer service and product.  So, how do I find top performers without breaking the bank?  I don’t know the answer to that question, but I have clues.

I will lean on my college’s Delta Mu Delta honor fraternity for business students.  When I was inducted as a graduate student, I met many sharp people who wanted to succeed.  I could use them.  They may not be the rock stars that Zuckerberg is chasing, but they could grow into that role.  Also, I will be auditioning developers and leaning on my network of recruiters to help me find the right talent.  Again, I may not get rock stars, but I think we can take over the world if I have a diverse team of programmers who work well together and are just as committed as I am. 

Talent does matter, but let us not get crazy.  My Chicago Cubs have spent lots of money over the last ten years, and it still hasn’t broken their ugly tradition of losing. Chicago Cubs, I would rather have some misfits and malcontents with talent and something to prove than a roster of all-stars any day. Chicago Cubs, I would rather have some misfits and malcontents with talent and something to prove. I suppose that means I want a Lake Wobegone company where the weather is always nice and everyone is above average.  I would rather have some misfits and malcontents with talent and something to prove.

I understand this is not realistic, but one can always dream.