We really like Cambium Network’s perspective on hiring. It is also something we try to practice at WAV.
Hiring People Better Than Yourself
by Atul Bhatnagar, Cambium Networks
At Cambium Networks, each manager strives hard to hire people better than themselves. While it may seem surprising, it is a key strategic approach that has resulted in our ability to help achieve strong revenue growth and profitability. When we are in a position to expand by adding new resources or replacing positions, we look beyond satisfying a checklist of skills. We look at how we can attract a person that will raise the bar and bring unique skills into our organization while we continually learn and improve ourselves. This approach has been key to our successful innovations.
This sounds like common sense and seems easy to achieve. However, it is surprising how many people look at the candidates and decide to hire them because they are like us. There have been numerous studies in this area that show that we evaluate people more positively when we think they are like us. How many times have you heard… “This person is going to be a good fit. They share the similar expertise to the rest of us.” But, is this a good thing? While at the surface it may seem like the right hire, this person will most likely not challenge us or bring awareness to unserved areas. We may function very well and even be perceived as high performing, but we will not evolve to the next level of performance or innovation.
Over the last four years we have had the pleasure of adding numerous individuals to our organization as we have experienced revenue growth and expanded our solutions portfolio. Each of these new resources provides knowledge and skills that are foreign to us – and while bringing on new talent is hard work – the impact of what they contribute is amazing! Their new skills and insights have allowed us to expand very successfully into the affordable ePMP solution, the Wi-Fi space and the IIoT push. This talent now is guiding us to move further into new markets with innovative and inspiring solutions.
When we grow the organization we must focus on building teams that cross-pollinate across a spectrum of skills – always consciously looking for unique expertise. To accomplish this, we require a confident and strong leadership team and a supportive environment. At Cambium Networks, we take pride in looking at the future and exploring ways to grow by hiring people better than ourselves.
