--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: . . . it is not possible to staff a large…" description: "\"“. . . it is not possible to staff a large company without short people. There simply aren't enough tall people to go around.”\" — Malcolm Gladwell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a12/malcolm-gladwell-348_business_it-is-not-possible-to-staff-a-large-comp_418833.jpg" --- # . . . it is not possible to staff a large company without… ![“. . . it is not possible to staff a large company without short people. There simply aren't enough tall people to go around.” quote by Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a12/malcolm-gladwell-348_business_it-is-not-possible-to-staff-a-large-comp_418833.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a12/malcolm-gladwell-348_business_it-is-not-possible-to-staff-a-large-comp_418833.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a12/malcolm-gladwell-348_business_it-is-not-possible-to-staff-a-large-comp_418833.jpg) > ““. . . it is not possible to staff a large company without short people. There simply aren't enough tall people to go around.”” [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Large organizations struggle to find enough tall people, implying a shortage of certain physical traits for staffing. **In simple terms:** Tall people are scarce for big companies. Key Takeaway Adapt hiring to realistic talent pools. Themes human resources physical diversity organizational limits Mood thoughtful practical Type observational critical When to use this quote - recruitment - team building - diversity initiatives Key Concepts height bias staffing challenges inclusion Questions to Reflect On - What other traits could replace height in staffing? - How can companies broaden criteria without losing efficiency? A Different Perspective Focusing on height may ignore other valuable attributes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Short people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-people/) ## Related quotes > [Not just tall people can dunk, short people can too. You have to set your mind to your goal, practice. Prove to the ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-farah/not-just-tall-people-can-dunk-short-people-can-too-you-have-to-set/) Kristen Farah > [ I'm in trouble if they can't, because everyone's taller than me, and if that's true, that means I can't have any friends! Alison \[McGhee\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/i-m-in-trouble-if-they-can-t-because-everyone-s-taller-than-me-and-if/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [Short people, tall people, people with glasses, The bottom line is I'll whip all your asses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stone-cold-steve-austin/short-people-tall-people-people-with-glasses-the-bottom-line-is-i-ll/) [Stone Cold Steve Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stone-cold-steve-austin/) > [The typical large company has a compensation committee, They don't look for Dobermans on that committee, they look for chihuahuas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/the-typical-large-company-has-a-compensation-committee-they-don-t/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [The more successful the unit, the more difficult it is to make sure that the large company doesn't put the same expectations on it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/the-more-successful-the-unit-the-more-difficult-it-is-to-make-sure/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [Entrepreneurs have the flexibility and the ability to do things that large companies simply cannot. Could a large company pull off a trick like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinod-khosla/entrepreneurs-have-the-flexibility-and-the-ability-to-do-things-that/) [Vinod Khosla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinod-khosla/) > [The typical project design time for a large company like IBM - and they keep track of this - is a little over four…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-typical-project-design-time-for-a-large-company-like-ibm-and-they/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Certainly, we are trying to preserve all of that culture, and get the advantages of being a large company with a broad product line,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/certainly-we-are-trying-to-preserve-all-of-that-culture-and-get-the/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [We do not believe in oversupplying the market. When you are a large company, you can afford to do it. When you are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lakshmi-mittal/we-do-not-believe-in-oversupplying-the-market-when-you-are-a-large/) [Lakshmi Mittal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lakshmi-mittal/) > [When you're a large company with significant market share, it's tempting to view market disruptions as a threat, but we view them as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-t-chambers/when-you-re-a-large-company-with-significant-market-share-it-s/) [John T. Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-t-chambers/) > [It's good to buy a large company with fine businesses when the price is beaten down over worry about one problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-earl-singleton/it-s-good-to-buy-a-large-company-with-fine-businesses-when-the-price/) [Henry Earl Singleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-earl-singleton/) > [Of one thing the investor can be certain: A large company's need to bring in a new chief executive from the outside is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-arthur-fisher/of-one-thing-the-investor-can-be-certain-a-large-company-s-need-to/) [Philip Arthur Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-arthur-fisher/) > [Changing the direction of a large company is like trying to turn an aircraft carrier. It takes a mile before anything happens. And if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/changing-the-direction-of-a-large-company-is-like-trying-to-turn-an/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [There are a lot of good ideas that could benefit from big media. You have a lot of companies that hit a wall and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-levinsohn/there-are-a-lot-of-good-ideas-that-could-benefit-from-big-media-you/) [Ross Levinsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-levinsohn/) > [If you are a large company and you want to do something unique, you almost by definition have to tap onto the core business…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-d-anthony/if-you-are-a-large-company-and-you-want-to-do-something-unique-you/) [Scott D. Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-d-anthony/) ## More by Malcolm Gladwell > [When I go to my health club, and it's in the basement, you have to take the elevator down. And this drives me crazy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/when-i-go-to-my-health-club-and-it-s-in-the-basement-you-have-to-take/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-tipping-point-is-that-magic-moment-when-an-idea-trend-or-social/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“The scholars who research happiness suggest that more money stops making people happier at a family income of around seventy-five thousand dollars a year.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-scholars-who-research-happiness-suggest-that-more-money-stops/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [We need to be clear when we venerate entrepreneurs what we are venerating.They are not moral leaders. If they were moral leaders, they wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/we-need-to-be-clear-when-we-venerate-entrepreneurs-what-we-are/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“Some people look like they sound better than they actually sound, because they look confident and have good posture," once musician, a veteran of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/some-people-look-like-they-sound-better-than-they-actually-sound/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [A handicap is like trying to race and you have a ten pound weight stuck to your waist. That is a handicap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/a-handicap-is-like-trying-to-race-and-you-have-a-ten-pound-weight/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“neighborhood was filled with engineers from Hewlett-Packard, then as now one of”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/neighborhood-was-filled-with-engineers-from-hewlett-packard-then-as/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“People are ruined by challenged economic lives. But they are ruined by wealth as well because they lose their ambition and they lose their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/people-are-ruined-by-challenged-economic-lives-but-they-are-ruined-by/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The single most important thing a city can do is provide a community where interesting, smart people want to live with their families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-single-most-important-thing-a-city-can-do-is-provide-a-community/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [ \[Norden\] said, with the Mark 15 Norden bombsight, he could drop a bomb into a pickle barrel at 20,000 feet. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/norden-said-with-the-mark-15-norden-bombsight-he-could-drop-a-bomb/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The willingness to be self-critical in England is much greater than the willingness to be self-critical in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-willingness-to-be-self-critical-in-england-is-much-greater-than/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The conventional explanation for Jewish success, of course, is that Jews come from a literate, intellectual culture. They are famously "the people of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-conventional-explanation-for-jewish-success-of-course-is-that/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“An archway to one side leads to a church, the Madonna del Carmine—Our Lady of Mount Carmine. Narrow”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/an-archway-to-one-side-leads-to-a-church-the-madonna-del-carmine-our/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [People are experience-rich and theory-poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/people-are-experience-rich-and-theory-poor/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“Most psychologists believe that nature—genetics—accounts for about half of the reason why we tend to act the way we do. His point is simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/most-psychologists-believe-that-nature-genetics-accounts-for-about/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) [Explore all 647 Malcolm Gladwell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) ## More Business quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/) [Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) [Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“. . . it is not possible to staff a large company without short people. There simply aren't enough tall people to go around.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Malcolm Gladwell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/it-is-not-possible-to-staff-a-large-company-without-short-people/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Business" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/it-is-not-possible-to-staff-a-large-company-without-short-people/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a12/malcolm-gladwell-348_business_it-is-not-possible-to-staff-a-large-comp_418833.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a12/malcolm-gladwell-348_business_it-is-not-possible-to-staff-a-large-comp_418833.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a12/malcolm-gladwell-348_business_it-is-not-possible-to-staff-a-large-comp_418833.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“. . . it is not possible to staff a large company without short people. There simply aren't enough tall…” — Malcolm Gladwell", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Malcolm Gladwell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“. . . it is not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/it-is-not-possible-to-staff-a-large-company-without-short-people/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/it-is-not-possible-to-staff-a-large-company-without-short-people/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```