It’s easy to be blinded by the structure of long established companies. Think of an upstart company doing something big. Something highly technical in nature. Fuel cells for vehicles, or something along those lines.
As those companies grow, who has the right background to choose the team? Complex products require multiple disciplines to design, and someone, who isn’t an expert in the fields they are hiring for will have to hire each discipline’s first member or manager. The world is too complex. At times, measured guesses are the best that can be done.
Once comfortable with the idea that no one has all the answers, dancing with fear becomes a bit easier, as you’re not out there on an empty floor. It’s crowded, and each person is unrecognizable in the vast sea of unknowing. They’re all weighing the options at the dance, and figuring out who their date is going to be.
In professional sports, player selection seems more straightforward. They’ve figured out the categories, and the quantities, needed for comparisons. Though the metrics aren’t always followed, the comparisons in sports are simpler. In engineering, or other creative endeavors, those categories don’t exist, all the data isn’t measured, and it’s not straight-forward. There is no draft.
There is a tension that exists between the work that needs to be done, and who should do it. There are no right answers. If you want to do the work, it’s time to make your case. Share your thoughts, past work, and the tension you see in the industry.
None of this is Right 