A thoroughly enjoyable blog by Bill Taylor over at theHarvard Business Review presents two very interesting viewpoints on talent by asking the question: if you are building a company, would you prefer one standout person over one hundred pretty good people?

In the blog, Taylor quotes Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, as saying:

“Someone who is exceptional in their role is not just a little better than someone who is pretty good… they are 100 times better.”

Taylor then debates the issue, giving examples from the business and sports world. I have to say, whilst exceptional leaders are important, I’m with Taylor when he says:

Great teams, great companies, great organizations of all kinds are as much about character as credentials, about what makes people tick as much as what they know.

Zuckerberg talks as if it is a choice: it’s not. It is as much about the person doing the hiring as the person(s) being hired. Why hire 100 pretty good people at all: why not hire 100 great people?

Enjoy Bill Taylor’s blog, you can find it here.