It's Not the How or the What but the Who

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Bringing Stars Together

In my early years as an executive search consultant, I was frequently asked to hire senior investment bankers. J.P. Morgan and Citibank were in those days the leading players in Argentina, but as I contacted and interviewed most of their key bankers, I saw something strange going on. While both had top people, one was dramatically more successful in the market. How did the stars at that firm manage to shine brightly together, while those at the other merely twinkled on their own? For years, I puzzled over the huge performance gaps I often saw between teams that, on paper, looked as if they would be equally effective. You see it in business, in sports, in creative endeavors from movies to magazines. What made the difference? ...