The best person for the job.

There are many schools of thought about how, where and why to team up with people, either hiring talent, being headhunted by someone, or simply doing a contract job for a niche task.

I don't think there is one answer that fits all. In my career, I have done it in many different ways, from hiring my little bro and sister in the early stages to a friend of a friend, recruiters, online, Twitter, and I even hired an Uber driver for a marketing role once.

My two constants

• The right time
• A global pool of talent

It has to be the right time, and they must bring something that you can't do well, or at all. And for that, the bigger the pool of talent, the better.
As the hiring person, I need to consider the budget, deliverables, learning curve, empathy, relationship building and realistic expectations. Try to reduce the risk of a bad match, and try to weed out the charismatic incompetence (excellent interview poo at their job).

It's also crucial to the classic equation:

The job's complexity * impact on the business * cost (wage + equipment + up skill).

Remote or Office

I found that they both work to a certain degree. However, it depends heavily on the leadership.

I prefer remote work. Like many things, it is not for everyone. It requires lots of reading, and writing (both I like), needs you to think about your ideas and feedback so you can express them efficiently and at the right time, and it leaves a record of everything that’s been discussed with a digital trail of comms to be revisited in case something wasn't clear.

Most of the face-to-face time I do is with team members that prefer that. I don't avoid it or reject it. Just not my first choice.

Global or Local

A healthy mix between them is essential, as long it is based on the best person for the job.
Geolocation hiring has to be based on The job’s complexity * impact on the business * cost (wage + equipment + up skill), relationship to budget and speed to market.

We are all part of the same global force, and I don't think talent, skill and capability are bound by a geographic location. I’ve studied 3 (4 if you divide the American continent) continents, and in my very personal opinion, there are no significant differences. I look for knowledge beyond traditional education. I prioritised their willingness to innovate, thirst for knowledge, and skills acquired mainly by life experience, not books or lectures.

Globals is Outsourced?

No, Outsource has a different mix, and I’ve seen very successful companies with an outsourcing model. But it is not my jam.

A global team are journeymen who interact as if they were in the office with you, having coffees, talking about products, life and more. They don't have a secondary boss that manages other contracts, and you don't deal with an account manager because there are no accounts to manage.

I’ve used outsourced teams for specific tasks, and they all have worked with different degrees of success. However, I build, prefer and promote global teams.

Conclusion

It's the founder's choice, and my opinions are just another drop into an ocean of information, but for what its worth, ultimately, the question to answer is :

Who is the best person for the job?

And not, where is she/he from, where does she/he live.