Management / Leadership / Hiring
Management / Leadership / HiringOgilvy's Law
Great organizations are built by hiring people stronger than yourself.
Popularity
Usefulness
Aliases
Hire-people-bigger-than-yourself principle
Domains
Management, hiring, leadership, organizational growth
Definition
- Ogilvy's Law holds that if you hire people bigger (more capable) than yourself, you build a company of giants; if you hire smaller, you build a company of dwarfs.
Core Idea
- Great organizations are built by hiring people stronger than yourself.
- Insecure leaders who hire weaker people shrink the organization.
- Confidence to hire "giants" compounds into excellence.
How It Works
- Each leader who hires more capable people raises the bar.
- Those strong hires in turn hire strong people.
- The organization grows in capability generation over generation.
Usage Example
- A manager who deliberately recruits people more talented than themselves builds an exceptional team, while one who fears being outshone assembles a mediocre one.
Famous Example
- Example: David Ogilvy, advertising pioneer, who famously gave new executives Russian nesting dolls with a note: if you hire people smaller than you, we become a company of dwarfs; bigger, a company of giants.
- Why it fits this rule: Ogilvy made hiring "giants" a leadership principle.
- Verification status: A genuine, well-documented Ogilvy practice and quote.
Use Cases / Situations Where It Applies
- Hiring and team building.
- Building high-capability organizations.
- Overcoming hiring insecurity.
When Not to Use or Common Misuse
- Do not equate "bigger" only with credentials; fit and character matter.
- Do not hire stars who cannot collaborate.
- Do not neglect developing existing people.
Rule Invention / Origin
- Invented by: David Ogilvy.
- Year of invention: Mid-to-late 20th century.
- Country / context of origin: United States / advertising.
Evidence / Research Basis
- A leadership maxim consistent with research on talent density and hiring.