Asher's Blog

One of the most pivotal experiences in my leadership journey reinforced a simple but powerful idea I first encountered in one of the best books I’ve ever read.

In Good to Great, Jim Collins makes a striking argument:
“The right people are more important than the right direction.”

He explains this with a metaphor that has stayed with me ever since:
Get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats, then figure out where to drive the bus.

That insight has shaped how I think about building teams, leading organisations, and making hard decisions. It’s the lesson I want to share today.

1. Big ambitions require exceptional people

No meaningful ambition is achieved alone. Even if you’re exceptionally good at what you do, there are many areas where you are not the expert and never will be. That’s not a weakness; it’s reality.

And what I’ve learned is that you cannot overpay great talent.
The right people don’t just add value, they multiply it. In my experience, exceptional talent can deliver outcomes that are 10x, sometimes 100x, the cost of hiring them. So trying to save money on key roles is one of the most expensive mistakes a leader can make.

2. Great talent is rare, but not scarce

For a long time, I was afraid of replacement. Part of it was discomfort with change; part of it was past disappointment. But with time and wisdom, I’ve learned that while great talent is hard to find, it is not in short supply if you search well.

Here’s what has helped me.

a) Clarify what success truly looks like

You must define success clearly and rewrite it often. Writing brings clarity.

I used to shrink my goals because I was worried I wouldn’t find the people capable of achieving them. Smaller goals felt safer. But they were also uninspiring.

Once I learned to articulate big, clear outcomes, it became easier to identify the kind of talent required to achieve them. You don’t find great people by thinking small.

b) Speak to Subject Matter Experts

When hiring for critical roles, I speak to as many SMEs as possible. These conversations sharpen my understanding of what skills truly matter and just as importantly, what doesn’t.

They help you separate core capabilities from nice-to-haves.

I remember hiring for a senior executive role where domain expertise mattered, but strategic thinking mattered more. Strategic thinking was rarer and more critical to success in that role, so it became the priority.

c) Use the right hiring channels realistically

For Africa-based roles, I’ve found Indeed effective for entry-level and mid-level hiring, and occasionally for senior roles. It’s not perfect, maybe 2 out of 100 candidates truly meet the bar, but it’s cost-effective.

LinkedIn, on the other hand, is often prohibitively expensive for SMEs and startups in Africa, especially for mid-level and some senior hires. The platform is powerful, but frequently out of touch with the realities of our market.

3. When you have the right people, everything feels different

With the right team, the journey doesn’t become easy but it becomes lighter.

Here’s how you know you’re with the right people.

a) You feel peace, even in difficulty

Business is hard. But with the right people, there’s a sense of stability even during tough moments. That peace often comes from a shared operating principle: disagree but commit.

Healthy teams debate vigorously before decisions are made. But once a decision is reached, everyone commits fully, even those who initially disagreed.

b) No divided leadership

One of the most important traits I now look for in leadership teams is the ability to disagree respectfully and still commit completely.

If you disagree with your leader, you are entitled to your view but once a direction is set, you must commit. If you can’t, then either you should be leading, or you shouldn’t be on the team. There cannot be two captains steering the same ship.

As a leader, you must also be firm about this. When team members complain sideways, undermine decisions privately, or refuse to commit after alignment, it erodes trust and execution speed. That behaviour must be addressed quickly and clearly.

Strong teams don’t trade blame; they solve problems.

c) You move faster

The right people eventually figure things out.

They are skilled, experienced, and knowledgeable, but also humble. They communicate clearly, challenge ideas thoughtfully, and execute with empathy.

When I hire very smart, humble people, I’m not afraid of complexity or ambiguity. As long as the goalposts don’t move, they find the path. That’s the kind of leadership capacity I look for now: people who can think deeply, then lead specialists effectively toward a fixed outcome.

My final thought

I wish you good people.

Because with the right people around you, the journey isn’t just successful, it’s peaceful. And when leadership is peaceful, greatness becomes possible.