--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How can you tell if you have found…" description: "\"“How can you tell if you have found someone exceptional? My simple rule of thumb—and the second big change to make in how you hire—is: “Only hire peopl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb8/laszlo-bock-11604_change_how-can-you-tell-if-you-have-found-someo_2269836.jpg" --- # How can you tell if you have found someone exceptional? My… ![“How can you tell if you have found someone exceptional? My simple rule of thumb—and the second big change to make in how you hire—is: “Only hire people who are better than you.” Every” quote by Laszlo Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb8/laszlo-bock-11604_change_how-can-you-tell-if-you-have-found-someo_2269836.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb8/laszlo-bock-11604_change_how-can-you-tell-if-you-have-found-someo_2269836.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb8/laszlo-bock-11604_change_how-can-you-tell-if-you-have-found-someo_2269836.jpg) > ““How can you tell if you have found someone exceptional? My simple rule of thumb—and the second big change to make in how you hire—is: “Only hire people who are better than you.” Every”” [Laszlo Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laszlo-bock/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Hire only individuals who outperform you to raise overall team performance and drive organizational excellence. **In simple terms:** Hire people better than you. Key Takeaway Seek out superior talent. Themes leadership recruitment performance culture Mood strategic inspirational Type leadership motivational When to use this quote - job interviews - performance reviews - team building workshops - strategic planning Key Concepts talent acquisition benchmarking team dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What criteria define “better”? - How can you balance excellence with inclusion? A Different Perspective May limit diversity of thought if only “better” is defined narrowly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Hire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hire/) [Hire People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hire-people-361187/) [Make Hire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-hire-5256520/) [People Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-better-248725/) [Tell Exceptional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tell-exceptional-5256521/) ## Related quotes > [If you hire only those people you understand, the company will never get people better than you are. Always remember that you often find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soichiro-honda/if-you-hire-only-those-people-you-understand-the-company-will-never/) [Soichiro Honda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soichiro-honda/) > [Hire people who are better than you are, then leave them to get on with it. Look for people who will aim for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/hire-people-who-are-better-than-you-are-then-leave-them-to-get-on/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) > [We want to hire people who are self-learners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-yuan/we-want-to-hire-people-who-are-self-learners/) [Eric Yuan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-yuan/) > [Recognize the skills and traits you don't possess, and hire the people who have them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/recognize-the-skills-and-traits-you-don-t-possess-and-hire-the-people/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [“Don’t hire people just to fit the first job they will do; hire people you want to share your life with.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/don-t-hire-people-just-to-fit-the-first-job-they-will-do-hire-people/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [You'll have to hire people to expand your business. But it's a good discipline to really question if you need each and every hire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-altucher/you-ll-have-to-hire-people-to-expand-your-business-but-it-s-a-good/) [James Altucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-altucher/) > [We hire people who are freaks. They don't have social lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-bannon/we-hire-people-who-are-freaks-they-don-t-have-social-lives/) [Steve Bannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-bannon/) > [I always make sure I hire people smarter than me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aliko-dangote/i-always-make-sure-i-hire-people-smarter-than-me/) [Aliko Dangote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aliko-dangote/) > [Hire people you get along with, and then let them do what they do best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-lindelof/hire-people-you-get-along-with-and-then-let-them-do-what-they-do-best/) [Damon Lindelof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-lindelof/) > [As an individual, you know what you are good at and what you're not good at, so over time as you are hiring, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-maybank/as-an-individual-you-know-what-you-are-good-at-and-what-you-re-not/) [Alexis Maybank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-maybank/) > [Only hire people you want to have dinner with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/only-hire-people-you-want-to-have-dinner-with/) [Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/) > [I hire people brighter than me and then I get out of their way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-iacocca/i-hire-people-brighter-than-me-and-then-i-get-out-of-their-way/) [Lee Iacocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-iacocca/) > [Always hire people who are better than you. Hiring dummies is shortsighted. You can't move up the ladder until everyone is comfortable with your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-wyse/always-hire-people-who-are-better-than-you-hiring-dummies-is/) [Lois Wyse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-wyse/) > [Hire people more for their judgment than for their talents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-jackson-brown-jr/hire-people-more-for-their-judgment-than-for-their-talents/) [H. Jackson Brown, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-jackson-brown-jr/) > [Our team at Duolingo is really cohesive, but this did not just happen. I made a concerted effort to hire people who are going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-von-ahn/our-team-at-duolingo-is-really-cohesive-but-this-did-not-just-happen/) [Luis von Ahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-von-ahn/) ## More by Laszlo Bock > [“The biggest lesson was that rewarding smart failure was vital to support a culture of risk-taking. Chris”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laszlo-bock/the-biggest-lesson-was-that-rewarding-smart-failure-was-vital-to/) [Laszlo Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laszlo-bock/) > [“A learning organization starts with a recognition that all of us want to grow and to help others grow. Yet in many organizations, employees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laszlo-bock/a-learning-organization-starts-with-a-recognition-that-all-of-us-want/) [Laszlo Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laszlo-bock/) > [“The best predictor of how someone will perform in a job is a work sample test (29 percent).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laszlo-bock/the-best-predictor-of-how-someone-will-perform-in-a-job-is-a-work/) [Laszlo Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laszlo-bock/) > [“We’ve found that trusting people to do the right thing generally results in them doing the right thing. Allowing people to reward one another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laszlo-bock/we-ve-found-that-trusting-people-to-do-the-right-thing-generally/) [Laszlo Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laszlo-bock/) > [“Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast” If you give people freedom, they will amaze you I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laszlo-bock/culture-eats-strategy-for-breakfast-if-you-give-people-freedom-they/) [Laszlo Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laszlo-bock/) > [“Having goals improves performance.113 Spending hours cascading goals up and down the company, however, does not.114”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laszlo-bock/having-goals-improves-performance-113-spending-hours-cascading-goals/) [Laszlo Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laszlo-bock/) > [“You can’t understand Google… unless you know that both Larry and Sergey were Montessori kids.”22 This teaching environment is tailored to a child’s learning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laszlo-bock/you-can-t-understand-google-unless-you-know-that-both-larry-and/) [Laszlo Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laszlo-bock/) > [“What managers miss is that every time they give up a little control, it creates a wonderful opportunity for their team to step up,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laszlo-bock/what-managers-miss-is-that-every-time-they-give-up-a-little-control/) [Laszlo Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laszlo-bock/) > [“Managers aren’t bad people. But each of us is susceptible to the conveniences and small thrills of power. At”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laszlo-bock/managers-aren-t-bad-people-but-each-of-us-is-susceptible-to-the/) [Laszlo Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laszlo-bock/) > [“A billion hours ago, modern Homo sapiens emerged. A billion minutes ago, Christianity began. A billion seconds ago, the IBM personal computer was released.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laszlo-bock/a-billion-hours-ago-modern-homo-sapiens-emerged-a-billion-minutes-ago/) [Laszlo Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laszlo-bock/) > [“You obviously want to hire the best people, but “best” isn’t defined by a single attribute like intelligence or expertise. As”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laszlo-bock/you-obviously-want-to-hire-the-best-people-but-best-isn-t-defined-by/) [Laszlo Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laszlo-bock/) > [“If you believe people are good, you must be unafraid to share information with them Transparency”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laszlo-bock/if-you-believe-people-are-good-you-must-be-unafraid-to-share/) [Laszlo Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laszlo-bock/) > [“A newly hired person actually destroys value.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laszlo-bock/a-newly-hired-person-actually-destroys-value/) [Laszlo Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laszlo-bock/) > [“Pay unfairly. Celebrate accomplishment, not compensation. Make it easy to spread the love. Reward thoughtful failure. A”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laszlo-bock/pay-unfairly-celebrate-accomplishment-not-compensation-make-it-easy/) [Laszlo Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laszlo-bock/) > [“Pay unfairly: Your best people are better than you think, and worth more than you pay them In”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laszlo-bock/pay-unfairly-your-best-people-are-better-than-you-think-and-worth/) [Laszlo Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laszlo-bock/) [Explore all 59 Laszlo Bock quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laszlo-bock/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) [Phil Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hogan/) > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“How can you tell if you have found someone exceptional? 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