--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Hire extremely independent, intelligent…" description: "\"Hire extremely independent, intelligent, and passionate people, not necessarily \"experts.\" Maybe three or four of my employees have MBAs, and those guy..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec7/yvon-chouinard-5320_chains_hire-extremely-independent-intelligent-a_2423113.jpg" --- # Hire extremely independent, intelligent, and passionate… ![“Hire extremely independent, intelligent, and passionate people, not necessarily "experts." Maybe three or four of my employees have MBAs, and those guys aren't necessarily at the top of the food chain.” quote by Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec7/yvon-chouinard-5320_chains_hire-extremely-independent-intelligent-a_2423113.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec7/yvon-chouinard-5320_chains_hire-extremely-independent-intelligent-a_2423113.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec7/yvon-chouinard-5320_chains_hire-extremely-independent-intelligent-a_2423113.jpg) > “Hire extremely independent, intelligent, and passionate people, not necessarily "experts." Maybe three or four of my employees have MBAs, and those guys aren't necessarily at the top of the food chain.” [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates hiring independent, intelligent, passionate individuals over formal experts, valuing diverse strengths. **In simple terms:** Hire independent, passionate people, not just experts. Key Takeaway Prioritize passion over credentials. Themes hiring leadership culture Mood pragmatic inspirational Type business leadership When to use this quote - startup recruitment - creative projects - non‑profit teams Key Concepts talent management innovation team dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance passion with expertise? - When is expertise essential? A Different Perspective May risk lacking technical depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chains/) [Employee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/employee/) [Employees Mbas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/employees-mbas-6138565/) [Experts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experts/) [Experts Maybe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experts-maybe-6138567/) [Food chain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food-chain/) [Four](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/four/) [Guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guy/) [Hire Extremely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hire-extremely-711692/) [Independent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/independent/) [Intelligent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligent/) [Mba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mba/) [Mbas Guys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mbas-guys-6138566/) [Necessarily Experts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/necessarily-experts-6138568/) [Passionate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passionate/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) ## Related quotes > [I'd rather hire someone who is extremely disciplined and process-oriented, than someone with all of the experience in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-mcdonald/i-d-rather-hire-someone-who-is-extremely-disciplined-and-process/) [Devon McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-mcdonald/) > [My opening words to anybody I hire are, 'I'm an extremely vulnerable person.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitabh-bachchan/my-opening-words-to-anybody-i-hire-are-i-m-an-extremely-vulnerable/) [Amitabh Bachchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitabh-bachchan/) > [If given a choice between investing in someone who has read REWORK or has an MBA, I’m investing in REWORK every time. A must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/if-given-a-choice-between-investing-in-someone-who-has-read-rework-or/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [MBAs know everything but understand nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-iacocca/mbas-know-everything-but-understand-nothing/) [Lee Iacocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-iacocca/) > [Sometimes during the two-year curriculum, every MBA student ought to hear it clearly stated that numbers, techniques, and analysis are all side matters. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-robinson/sometimes-during-the-two-year-curriculum-every-mba-student-ought-to/) [Peter Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-robinson/) > [ My characteristics \[of Ideal Black Man.\] aren't as specific. I'm more general. I'm more like, I have to be able to talk to him.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanaa-lathan/my-characteristics-of-ideal-black-man-aren-t-as-specific-i-m-more/) [Sanaa Lathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanaa-lathan/) > [I'm not sure I was a typical head of a company. Most people that run big companies come out of sales and they come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eisner/i-m-not-sure-i-was-a-typical-head-of-a-company-most-people-that-run/) [Michael Eisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eisner/) > [You don't need a Harvard MBA to know that the bedroom and the boardroom are just two sides of the same ballgame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/you-don-t-need-a-harvard-mba-to-know-that-the-bedroom-and-the/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [Songwriting is a craft. Writing good songs on a a consistent basis doesn not happen spontaneously. In fact, most of our best songwriters learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kosser/songwriting-is-a-craft-writing-good-songs-on-a-a-consistent-basis/) [Michael Kosser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kosser/) > [I get rejections from the New Yorker. When I had to give a little talk to the people graduating from the MBA program at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-sessums/i-get-rejections-from-the-new-yorker-when-i-had-to-give-a-little-talk/) [Kevin Sessums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-sessums/) > [An MBA is a great degree for career paths like investment banking, finance, consulting, and large companies. An MBA is not necessarily the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/an-mba-is-a-great-degree-for-career-paths-like-investment-banking/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [“Cliché: "The MBA changed my life." What it really means: "A fantastic career, a great social life and a healthy bank balance...three of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sameer-kamat/clich-the-mba-changed-my-life-what-it-really-means-a-fantastic-career/) [Sameer Kamat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sameer-kamat/) > [An MBA doesn’t impress me. A GSD does. GSD = Gets Stuff Done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-comaford-lynch/an-mba-doesn-t-impress-me-a-gsd-does-gsd-gets-stuff-done/) [Christine Comaford-Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-comaford-lynch/) > [More business decisions occur over lunch and dinner than at any other time, yet no MBA courses are given on the subject.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/more-business-decisions-occur-over-lunch-and-dinner-than-at-any-other/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [ We \[in the MBA\] get to create a situation where we're really choosing the students to join our environment based upon what we think… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-dolan/we-in-the-mba-get-to-create-a-situation-where-we-re-really-choosing/) [Robert J. Dolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-dolan/) ## More by Yvon Chouinard > [Once you educate yourself, you're left with choices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/once-you-educate-yourself-you-re-left-with-choices/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [A real capitalist knows that $10 given today does a lot more good than $100 given 10 years from now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/a-real-capitalist-knows-that-10-given-today-does-a-lot-more-good-than/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [Doing risk sports had taught me another important lesson: never exceed your limits. You push the envelope and you live for those moments when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/doing-risk-sports-had-taught-me-another-important-lesson-never-exceed/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [But I'm really trying to run this company like it is going to be here a hundred years from now. That's what's important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/but-i-m-really-trying-to-run-this-company-like-it-is-going-to-be-here/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [Who are businesses really responsible to? Their customers? Shareholders? Employees? We would argue that it’s none of the above. Fundamentally, businesses are responsible to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/who-are-businesses-really-responsible-to-their-customers-shareholders/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [It's okay to be eccentric if you're rich; otherwise you're just crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/it-s-okay-to-be-eccentric-if-you-re-rich-otherwise-you-re-just-crazy/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [Evil doesn’t have to be an overt act; it can be merely the absence of good. If you have the ability, the resources, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/evil-doesn-t-have-to-be-an-overt-act-it-can-be-merely-the-absence-of/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [The whole purpose of climbing something like Everest is to effect some sort of spiritual and physical gain. But if you compromise the process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/the-whole-purpose-of-climbing-something-like-everest-is-to-effect/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [At Patagonia, making a profit is not the goal because the Zen master would say profits happen 'when you do everything else right'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/at-patagonia-making-a-profit-is-not-the-goal-because-the-zen-master/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [Traveling is my form of self-education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/traveling-is-my-form-of-self-education/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [Everything we personally own that’s made, sold, shipped, stored, cleaned, and ultimately thrown away does some environmental harm every step of the way, harm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/everything-we-personally-own-that-s-made-sold-shipped-stored-cleaned/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [We've teamed up with some Japanese companies to, basically by 2010, make all our clothing out of recycled and recyclable fibers. And we're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/we-ve-teamed-up-with-some-japanese-companies-to-basically-by-2010/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [You can solo-climb Everest without using oxygen or you can pay guides and Sherpas to carry your loads, put ladders across crevasses, lay in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/you-can-solo-climb-everest-without-using-oxygen-or-you-can-pay-guides/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [Climbing for speed records will probably become more popular, a mania which has just begun. Climbers climb not just to see how fast and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/climbing-for-speed-records-will-probably-become-more-popular-a-mania/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [Everything we make pollutes. The most responsible thing we can do is to make each product as well as we know how so it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/everything-we-make-pollutes-the-most-responsible-thing-we-can-do-is/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) [Explore all 101 Yvon Chouinard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) ## More Chains quotes > [Unchecked, the new tolerance will sooner or later put many people in chains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/unchecked-the-new-tolerance-will-sooner-or-later-put-many-people-in/) [D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/) > [Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somewhere-somebody-must-have-some-sense-men-must-see-that-force/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [The Chains of conformity click in tiresomely monotonous unison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-sweet/the-chains-of-conformity-click-in-tiresomely-monotonous-unison/) [Leonard Sweet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-sweet/) > [The dark ages still reign over all humanity, and the depth and persistence of this domination are only now becoming clear. This Dark Ages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/the-dark-ages-still-reign-over-all-humanity-and-the-depth-and/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) > [I don't have a huge amount of gear, but on the software side, I have a number of plug-in chains that act as abstracted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-hopkins/i-don-t-have-a-huge-amount-of-gear-but-on-the-software-side-i-have-a/) [Jon Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-hopkins/) > [We don't have a farm-to-table food safety system. I keep saying this. It came as a big surprise to the FDA that tomatoes were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-nestle/we-don-t-have-a-farm-to-table-food-safety-system-i-keep-saying-this/) [Marion Nestle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-nestle/) > [So many times we come to Jesus in worship and ask Him for things that He already IS and has already done... What a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-nockels/so-many-times-we-come-to-jesus-in-worship-and-ask-him-for-things-that/) [Christy Nockels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-nockels/) > [How can I set free anyone who doesn't have the guts to stand up alone and declare his own freedom? I think it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/how-can-i-set-free-anyone-who-doesn-t-have-the-guts-to-stand-up-alone/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) > [I'm bigger than you! I'm higher on the food chain - get in my belly!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-myers/i-m-bigger-than-you-i-m-higher-on-the-food-chain-get-in-my-belly/) [Mike Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-myers/) > [The chains will fall off freely, no more worries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dl-watson/the-chains-will-fall-off-freely-no-more-worries/) [DL WATSON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dl-watson/) > [I am ever mindful of the legacy of my grandfather, the founder of this Kingdom, who had said to me that he perceived his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-hussein-i/i-am-ever-mindful-of-the-legacy-of-my-grandfather-the-founder-of-this/) [King Hussein I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-hussein-i/) > [Think about it: we went into slavery pagans; we came out Christians. We went into slavery pieces of property; we came out American citizens.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/think-about-it-we-went-into-slavery-pagans-we-came-out-christians-we/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [To one who is accustomed to thinking a lot, every new thought that he hears or reads about immediately appears as a link in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/to-one-who-is-accustomed-to-thinking-a-lot-every-new-thought-that-he/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Man's ethics must not end with man, but should extend to the universe. He must regain the consciousness of the great Chain of Life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/man-s-ethics-must-not-end-with-man-but-should-extend-to-the-universe/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [To sigh, yet feel no pain; To weep, yet scarce know why; To sport an hour with Beauty's chain, Then throw it idly by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/to-sigh-yet-feel-no-pain-to-weep-yet-scarce-know-why-to-sport-an-hour/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) [Browse all 1,639 Chains quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chains/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Hire extremely independent, intelligent, and passionate people, not necessarily \"experts.\" Maybe three or four of my employees have MBAs, and those guys aren't necessarily at the top of the food chain.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Yvon Chouinard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/hire-extremely-independent-intelligent-and-passionate-people-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chains" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/hire-extremely-independent-intelligent-and-passionate-people-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec7/yvon-chouinard-5320_chains_hire-extremely-independent-intelligent-a_2423113.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec7/yvon-chouinard-5320_chains_hire-extremely-independent-intelligent-a_2423113.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec7/yvon-chouinard-5320_chains_hire-extremely-independent-intelligent-a_2423113.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Hire extremely independent, intelligent, and passionate people, not necessarily \"experts.\" Maybe three or…” — Yvon Chouinard", "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": "Yvon Chouinard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Hire extremely independent, intelligent, and passionate...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/hire-extremely-independent-intelligent-and-passionate-people-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/hire-extremely-independent-intelligent-and-passionate-people-not/#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 } } ] } ```