Know your weaknesses and fill in the gaps

As leaders, we are often in the position of hiring new members for our team.  I remember being ecstatic the first time I had the opportunity to be part of a hiring team.  Before long, I was in charge and solely responsible for hiring team members.  I have successes and failures in hiring team members, so here's what I've learned along the way;

When you have success as a leader, more than likely you are confident in your abilities.  It is natural to see your strengths in others.  I definitely do not have a poker face so during interviews, I would find myself smiling or nodding in approval when I spoke with candidates who shared some of the same skills and values that I do.  Before I knew it, I had hired replicas of myself.  I believe in hiring someone like yourself because as a leader, you do not have the time to do the things that you did before your promotion, so you need someone to replace you.  On the other hand, you are not perfect.  You need to know where your weaknesses are so that you can hire team members that have strengths in the areas that you are weak.  For example, I am a doer.  I grow impatient with people who are reluctant to take action.  I needed someone on my team that was going to remind me and the other team members to pause and reevaluate before we took action.  When I was a new leader, I knew that there was a lot that I still didn't know.  I found a team member that had more experience than I did in a particular area.  My team worked well together and were effective.  The point is, use your hiring opportunities to build a well-rounded team.  Team members should represent a diversity and balance of personalities, skills, values, expertise, and experience.  Be careful not to hire only those that are reflections of yourself, or you may find your weaknesses magnified!