Portrait of Steve Jobs
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Steve Jobs on Hiring A Players

Strong advocate for A Players (strong)

TL;DR

Steve Jobs asserted that building success requires aggressively recruiting only 'A players' and refusing to settle for mediocrity.

Key Points

  • He stated that 'A players attract A players, B players attract C players' in hiring dynamics.

  • He built a significant portion of his success by finding 'truly gifted' people and not settling for 'B' and 'C' players.

  • The belief was that enough 'A players' working together would prefer each other’s company and self-police future hiring decisions.

Summary

Steve Jobs held an exceptionally strong position regarding the necessity of hiring only 'A players' to achieve organizational success and innovation. He famously argued that a small team composed entirely of 'A plus' players can significantly outperform a much larger team of 'B and C players.' This stance was rooted in the belief that top talent prefers working exclusively with other top talent, which creates a self-policing environment where the entire group is motivated to hire only more 'A players.' This process propagates excellence, making the recruitment standard the most crucial element for organizational destiny.

This emphasis on elite talent was not just about performance; it created a specific culture that only those top performers wished to remain a part of. By being extremely strict on the standard for who joins the team, he ensured that the environment was conducive to the highest levels of achievement, a standard he upheld throughout his tenure. The implication of this philosophy is that settling for 'B' or 'C' players is a long-term cost, not a short-term convenience, as inferior players attract more inferior players, diluting overall quality and productivity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Steve Jobs's position was that aggressively hiring only 'A players' was the most effective path to building a successful and innovative organization. He believed that top talent is self-perpetuating and that one must refuse to settle for B or C players at all costs.

The leader felt that B players tend to hire C players, leading to a dilution of quality throughout the organization over time. He asserted that a team of A players, by contrast, would only want to work with other A players, thereby maintaining a high standard.

He maintained that a small team of A-plus players could run circles around a much larger team of lower-tier performers. For him, the sheer quality of the individual talent was the primary driver of exceptional results and innovation.