Hire With the Team in Mind

As fans of the New York Yankees have sadly come to realize, putting nine all-stars on the field doesn't guarantee you victory. "You have to think of chemistry and group dynamics," says Story. "Yeah, this guy may be great, but will he make the team great? Do I need a superstar here, or a grinder who's going to consistently deliver reliable results?"

As proof of the value of role players, Story cites the Atlanta Braves of the 1990s and 2000s, who made the playoffs a record 14 consecutive times. "The formula was all about a consistent core, a couple of superstars, and some young and promising talent," says Story. "You had these roles in place, and there were new faces in those roles, but the roles stayed the same." 

There are guys out there who think you can assess players from behind a laptop, but just looking at stats won't tell you anything about makeup and work ethic.

For his part, Kamikow says that while expensive and difficult to maintain, a superstar approach can work in business, but only if it's how the corporate culture was engineered from the beginning. "Google comes to mind," he says. "But they've been doing that from the very start; it's what they're known for. If you don't have that embedded in the organizational DNA, you can't suddenly switch gears and adopt a 'best-and-brightest' strategy."

Don't Forget the Farm

As appealing as it may be to plug holes with hot outside talent, companies that don't develop leaders from within are likely to lose out. "You want to win long term: You have to develop a reputation as an organization that brings in talent, invests in them, and gives them opportunities," says Story.

Story recommends a "draft and follow" approach in which managers are incentivized to build relationships with junior employees, and even senior execs have regular contact with lower-level team members.

"I think smart organizations today are looking at recruiting with an eye to where employees will be five years from now," agrees Kamikow. "The days of hiring a bookkeeper thinking they're going to be a bookkeeper their whole career, rather than a future chief controller, are long gone."

Hire People Who Love What They Do

Story's last piece of advice is the most critical and the most obvious—but also the most frequently disregarded. "I want to bring people in who have passion for the game," he says. "If I have to convince you that professional baseball is a good decision for you, well, that's a red flag to me."

Kamikow couldn't agree more. "If you look at the research out there, at lists of what people are looking for when they're considering where they want to work, money is way down on the list," he says. "The bottom line is, if someone comes to work for you just for the money, watch out—it won't be long before he's working for someone else just for the money."