Experience vs. Youth
If you’re the CEO of a new company and looking to hire, one of the more common questions, particularly if you’re a first-time CEO and / or young is “Should I hire experience or youth and energy?”
As with most questions like this, it’s a false dichotomy. The answer is never one or the other because the assumption in the question is that you can’t get both experience and “energy” in the same hire. That’s simply not true. I meet 25 year olds who have no energy, no drive. I meet 45 year olds who run marathons on the weekend and have tons of energy.
Instead, think of the characteristics you want in someone who’s strapped to the mast with you. A few that come to mind are:
- Intelligent
- Scrappy
- Up for new challenges / can jump across multiple subject areas and solve problems
- Don’t need a job description
- Quick study
- Fun (however you define fun)
- Thoughtful and generous
Hire the kinds of people you want to be around because you’re going to be around them. A lot.
Experience is a “very nice to have”, but you can also rent experience either from your board or your network if you get in a jam.