Ask anyone who has started their own business, and they’ll confirm that building a successful team is one of the most crucial tasks for entrepreneurs. While hiring exceptional talent is an absolute must, it also requires ensuring that each new addition aligns with the company’s culture and long-term vision.
“When you see an exceptional talent, you need to make space for them,” insists Hendrik du Toit, founding chief executive of Ninety One, a leading asset management firm. “If you don’t, they move on.”
The Importance of Strategic Hiring
Du Toit emphasizes the value of hiring strategically, especially in a company’s early stages. While it may be tempting to recruit familiar faces or friends, these convenient arrangements often fail to stand the test of time. A wiser approach? Hiring the best talent from the start can accelerate growth while setting a business on a path to success.
Adam Saunders is the CEO of search consultancy Amrop UK. He identifies the scarcity of talent in fields such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing, where skilled candidates are in high demand. However, Saunders cautions that effective hiring must transcend mere technical expertise: “At the C-suite level, talent must be assessed for skills, competencies, personality—and how they fit within the team’s dynamic.”
Companies that understand—and act upon—these factors consistently achieve better results.
Lessons from Experience
Du Toit knows firsthand that even seasoned leaders can make hiring mistakes. A case in point? He recalls rejecting Gail Daniel, now a star portfolio manager, due mainly to her casual interview attire. “We still argue about this,” he admits.
Fortunately, his colleague Ciaran Whelan stepped in. He recognized Daniel’s potential and offered her another role. Weeks later, Whelan convinced du Toit to hire her as an analyst. Three decades later, Daniel remains a pivotal figure in the business.
Du Toit’s experience illustrates the importance of looking beyond first impressions. While initial judgment is important in recognizing talent, intuition and a willingness to challenge first impressions are also important.
Balancing Talent and Culture
Hiring top talent is only part of the equation. Maintaining a cohesive company culture is just as vital. As the CEO of Jack Hammer Global, Debbie Goodman has a warning against quick hires meant to address short-term challenges: “Every single hire should be seen as your most critical and important one.” In particular, early employees must possess two key traits needed to navigate a startup’s growth phase: enthusiasm and adaptability.
Goodman insists that a well-defined culture can guide teams even as a company scales. Companies can codify that culture through clear values, systems, and processes. She emphasizes the risk of prioritizing performance over cultural alignment. “A group of brilliant jerks who don’t work well together can derail projects and undermine team energy,” she insists.
The lesson? Leaders must vigilantly address toxic behaviors to protect their organizations.
Avoiding Talent Drain
Du Toit stresses that companies must remain proactive in their talent strategies. “Ordinary recruiting cannot have the same impact as constantly being on the lookout for talent,” he states. The challenge only grows as businesses expand, making it essential to prioritize talent acquisition at every stage.
Maria Hvorostovsky is the founder of HVO Search. She notes that the UK labor market is delivering mixed signals. Economic pressures have led to layoffs and slower hiring. As a result, employers have new opportunities.
However, these conditions also risk keeping frustrated employees in roles where they feel undervalued. “Once global and economic stability returns, a wave of movement seems likely,” Hvorostovsky predicts. Companies that invest in their best people now can avoid losing top talent when this anticipated shift happens.
Learning from Past Mistakes
Jack Welch, the legendary former CEO of General Electric, famously said, “The people with the best people win.” While GE’s leadership contest to succeed Welch showcased top-tier talent, it also underscored the pitfalls of internal competition.
The grueling process cost GE two of its most capable executives, Robert Nardelli and James McNerney. Both men left the company, eventually leading many experts to believe that GE would have been better off if Welch had retained all three leaders to work collaboratively.
Winning with Talent and Culture
Building a winning team demands more than identifying top talent. It necessitates a commitment to nurturing culture. It also demands aligning hires with long-term goals. Companies that prioritize thoughtful, strategic hiring and invest in their teams create an environment where businesses—and their people—thrive.
As Du Toit confirms, “The right people doing the right things at the right time always deliver better outcomes.”
