Lovable Fool or Competent Jerk?

Many years ago, Erik read an article in Harvard Business Review that he still thinks about nearly 10 years ago. The gist of the article was which do you want to work for: a lovable fool or the competent jerk? The lovable fool is great to be around, you like them, they’re a friend but they don’t do good work. On the other hand, you have the competent jerk: someone who’s expert status at their job but they’re awful to be around. It’s a tough situation but most people would prefer to be around the lovable fool. Why? Life is short. Who wants to spend it being miserable?

But the thing is, if you have too many fools in your company, you may have a great time but you’re not getting the work done efficiently. You need a blend of people that you want to be around but are also competent. These are people you’re going to spend a lot of time with every day so hire around your core values and skill set.