Should a growth person be hired first?
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The decision to hire a growth person as a first hire is nuanced and highly situation-dependent. Here's what trusted experts say:
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Understanding Growth Needs: Hila Qu, a Growth Executive, suggests that before making a growth hire, a founder should understand their growth model and mechanisms. It's crucial to identify what type of expertise is needed to amplify existing growth strategies, such as strong paid channel expertise if initial paid channels are yielding good returns 1.
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Internal vs. External Hiring: Elena Verna, Interim Head of Growth at Amplitude, advocates for hiring internally when possible. An internal hire is already familiar with the product and growth model, reducing the risk of failure compared to an external hire who might replicate growth models from previous companies, which may not align with the new product's needs 2.
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Building a Growth Team: Chandra Narayanan emphasizes that hiring a single growth person might not be effective. Instead, it's better to hire a leader who can build a growth team, including designers, marketers, and engineers, to function effectively 3.
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Skills and Fit: Several experts, including Crystal Widjaja and Mike Duboe, highlight the importance of ensuring that growth hires are statistically savvy and align with specific company goals. They recommend clearly defining success, calibrating with similar companies, and writing a detailed job specification 4 5.
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Cultural Fit and Existing Teams: Casey Winters advises demonstrating a commitment to growth by allocating resources to growth initiatives before hiring a leader. Showing success and progress in growth initiatives can attract top talent and ensure new hires can integrate well with the existing team 6.
In summary, hiring a growth person first can be beneficial, but it's critical to ensure clarity in growth goals, the right fit within the organization's needs, and potential for internal candidates. If the first hire is to be a growth leader, they should also be capable of building and leading a team to drive the growth strategy effectively.
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