One Great Developer is better than Three Good Ones

I saw this said in a book I recently finished reading about company planning and strategy.  For sure when I read it first it caused me to pause.  Could there really be that much difference between good and great?

The more I thought about it, the more I came to agree that it is a pretty good estimate of the difference in costs to a business.  One great employee will do things better, with fewer errors and without the communication overhead of having to distribute the same work among three people.

In terms of salary costs that can add up very quickly.  The great employee may demand a 20-30% premium over the good employees but by needing 3 people your total costs skyrocket up 250%

It’s something to keep in mind if you ever are interviewing or hiring.  It’s usually better to wait for a truly great employee than to settle for someone that you don’t feel is going to bring a tremendous amount of value to your team.

Stack your company/team with A players and your chances of achieving your big audacious goals multiplies.  Introducing even a few even a few mediocre people can derail a project and create a stressful work environment for everyone.