by Kevin Coupe
The Washington Post has a piece about a speech Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, in which he offered "a nugget of management wisdom" during a follow-up Q&A session when he was queried about how he hires people.
"I've developed over time a simple rule," he said. "I will only hire someone to work directly for me if I would work for that person. And it's a pretty good test ... It doesn't necessarily mean that I'm rushing to give up my job of running the company and put other people in the role. But what it does mean is that in an alternate universe - if things were different and I didn't start the company - I would be happy to work for that person."
Zuckerberg added: "If you're building a big organization, then it also works many layers down. If each person is only hiring people to work directly for them who they would work for, then you're probably going to get a pretty strong organization."
I think that's a pretty smart rule and the kind of approach that can lead to actual teamwork. It also means that maybe - just maybe - the person at the top has his or her ego in check, and understands in a fundamental way the importance of people as you travel down the corporate ladder. After all, if the bottom of the ladder isn't stable, the person on top of the ladder is a lot more likely to fall.
It is an Eye-Opener.
The Washington Post has a piece about a speech Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, in which he offered "a nugget of management wisdom" during a follow-up Q&A session when he was queried about how he hires people.
"I've developed over time a simple rule," he said. "I will only hire someone to work directly for me if I would work for that person. And it's a pretty good test ... It doesn't necessarily mean that I'm rushing to give up my job of running the company and put other people in the role. But what it does mean is that in an alternate universe - if things were different and I didn't start the company - I would be happy to work for that person."
Zuckerberg added: "If you're building a big organization, then it also works many layers down. If each person is only hiring people to work directly for them who they would work for, then you're probably going to get a pretty strong organization."
I think that's a pretty smart rule and the kind of approach that can lead to actual teamwork. It also means that maybe - just maybe - the person at the top has his or her ego in check, and understands in a fundamental way the importance of people as you travel down the corporate ladder. After all, if the bottom of the ladder isn't stable, the person on top of the ladder is a lot more likely to fall.
It is an Eye-Opener.
- KC's View:
