If They’re Just Like You, Hire Someone Else

As a manager, I strongly believe in hiring better than yourself. No one can be great at everything, and smart people amplify their impact by surrounding themselves with an extraordinary team. That’s why I frequently say that my number one job at Zillow Group is “to recruit, retain and motivate extraordinary people, and to create an environment where they can do their best work.” So, what makes a great direct report? Subject matter expertise, motivation, work ethic, intellect, communication skills and more. But one of the other key attributes of a good direct report is a willingness to dissent. Someone who agrees with their manager 100 percent of the time isn’t as valuable as someone who brings their own perspective and opinions to the table.

The importance of encouraging dissenting opinions was a key topic in my most recent Office Hours podcast with Sallie Krawcheck, who recently launched Ellevest, a digital financial investment platform for women. Her mission is to increase the representation of women in investing by offering a service aligned with their unique goals and attitudes. In an industry – as Sallie puts it – “by men, for men,” this could be a game-changer. Marketing investment services to women is something firms have struggled with for years, their attempts to say, “Don’t buy shoes. Invest in the stock market instead!” lambasted for gender stereotyping and patronization. Why has it taken so long for Wall Street to crack the code on women? Mostly because they didn’t understand them; mostly because there were so few women on Wall Street.

In Sallie’s view, hiring better means hiring diverse. Her experience on Wall Street showed her the dangers of a homogenous workforce, from the lack of mentors for women to the self-perpetuated hiring bias and the blindness toward looming catastrophes like the financial crisis. Sallie saw and felt the problems this environment created, and she understood the value of diversity and dissent in approaching problems, being innovative and understanding customers.  

When Sallie hires, she doesn’t ask, “Who is the best person for the job?” but instead, “Who will create the best team?” This means looking for differences in backgrounds, thought processes, even communication styles to create a more robust and creative team — and then finding ways to embrace and retain each team member’s assets. “The power of diversity is diversity,” Sallie says, “not bringing in a whole bunch of diverse people and having them act in a certain way.”

Our conversation was ripe with insights, not just on diversity but also on handling hiring mistakes and the importance of mentors. Download the latest episode to listen to the full exchange between me and Sallie.