If the Shoe Fits: You and Jeremy Lin
by Miki SaxonA Friday series exploring Startups and the people who make them go. Read all If the Shoe Fits posts here
Bosses hiring for startups (or existing companies) wax lyrical on the benefits of hiring “stars” and are willing to jump through almost any hoop to get one.
Those of you who crave stars would do well to read the story of Jeremy Lin, who plays for the NY Knicks in the NBA.
Nobody considered Lin a star or even a potential star.
He was cut in December by the Golden State Warriors, his hometown team, after one season in which he rarely left the bench. The Warriors were intrigued enough to sign him but not enough to keep him. The Houston Rockets gave Lin a quick look and cut him.
Of course, his coaches didn’t play him, so they never learned what he could do.
The Knicks almost made the same mistake.
Lin started with two strikes against him; he is Chinese-American and graduated from Harvard—he doesn’t fit “the profile.”
In spite of superb high school playing he received no scholarship offers.
Similar scenarios play out every day in hiring decisions across industries and around the country.
In doing so managers walk by some of the best talent available.
How many Jeremy Lins have you missed?
How many of them now work for your competition?
Option Sanity™ recognizes stars-to-be
Come visit Option Sanity for an easy-to-understand, simple-to-implement stock allocation process. So easy a CEO can do it.
Warning.
Do not attempt to use Option Sanity™ without a strong commitment to business planning, financial controls, honesty, ethics, and “doing the right thing.”
Use only as directed.
Users of Option Sanity may experience sudden increases in team cohesion and worker satisfaction. In cases where team productivity, retention and company success is greater than typical, expect media interest and invitations as keynote speaker.
Flickr image credit: HikingArtist
