New Hires Must Push Us

I was speaking with a good friend on the phone recently who happens to be a recent hire. As we were talking I noticed how uneasy I was feeling. In fact, I often find my time with him troubling. The way he thinks makes me feel funny inside and not always in a good way.

Why is this? I asked myself.

He’s never rude or rebellious. He never tries to steamroll people. He is a great listener.

I’m coming to realize that isn’t my friend who makes me uncomfortable, it’s his ideas. And it’s not because his ideas aren’t any good, quite the opposite actually - his ideas are so good and different that they force me to look at things in ways I’m not used to, and if I’m honest, I find this terribly upsetting in a world in which I have everything figured out.

After we got off the phone, I jotted down the following on a scrap of paper on my nightstand:

“New hires must push us, advance us, and help us think about our known-worlds in new ways.”

I’m slowly realizing that my work with him is to not shut him down because I don’t understand, but instead enter our relationship with curiosity, letting his way of thinking challenge my own despite how uncomfortable it might make me feel.

This is called growth, I believe.

If you have open positions (especially creative ones), fill them with the kinds of people who push you. Fill them with people who make you a little uncomfortable. Fill them with people who are better than you. Fill them with people who force you to think about your world in new ways.

It will make you feel a little (or lot) queezy on the inside at first, but I promise you it’s worth it.