Why CEOs Shouldn’t Overthink Team Composition

By their nature, tech CEOs tend to overthink things. Founders often have big lofty goals and the road to reach those goals is often long and complicated. That can lead to a lot of overthinking and trying to make everything perfect. Team composition is one of the best examples of this problem of overthinking.

Obviously, CEOs want to hire the perfect people to fill the most important positions - or sometimes for every position. But we all know that this just isn’t realistic. Startups aren’t always going to have access to the perfect candidate. More to the point, the perfect person may not continue to be the perfect person.

Tech startups change and pivot all the time, especially while scaling. The perfect fit for a position right now may not be the perfect fit in three years or five years. In fact, the chances are good that you won’t know what you’ll need five years down the road. So why bother trying to find the perfect person who’s going to hold that position forever?

Instead, CEOs need to think about what they need out of that position right now. Of course, this applies to the most important executive positions. But it can also apply to middle management positions and other key roles, even if they aren’t near the top of the food chain.

No matter the job, stay focused on the big change that will happen in the next two or three years. What’s the current mission and the most immediate need? Base the job description on those needs rather than what you think you might need in five years. Nobody knows what you might need that far down the line.

The bottom line is that you’re not looking for a forever candidate. You’re not even looking for the perfect candidate. Rather, you need to find someone who’s perfect for right now. If someone can help you achieve your immediate goals in the next two years, they are the perfect candidate. That’s all tech CEOs need to think about when it comes to team composition.