Segment: Stop Being The Smartest Person In Your Business - Hire Better Or Stay Small

Summary

Konnected Minds Podcast with Derrick Abaitey
Episode Segment: "Stop Being The Smartest Person In Your Business – Hire Better Or Stay Small"
Date: June 14, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of the Konnected Minds Podcast, hosted by Derrick Abaitey, centers on a fundamental business truth: entrepreneurs who insist on being the smartest in their company often hold themselves back. Derrick and his co-host unpack why hiring better people—sometimes even smarter or more talented than yourself—is vital to personal and business growth. Their conversation weaves together insights about leadership, healthy competition, learning from others, and playing to one’s strengths, all within an African entrepreneurial context.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Surround Yourself With Excellence

• Football Analogy & the Power of Smart Teams
  Derrick opens with a sports comparison, drawing parallels between football manager Pep Guardiola's legendary success and the brilliance of his assistants.

  • Quote (00:29):
    “Go and look at Pep’s assistants. They are all supposedly greats now… which means Pep was not the only genius on his team.”
  • Even as a leader, hiring and empowering smart people amplifies collective greatness. Champions surround themselves with other champions.

• Why Entrepreneurs Remain Small
  Many founders shy away from bringing in strong talent for fear of competition, but this limits the business.

  • Quote (01:12):
    “You have to be able to marry your greatness with somebody else’s own, because that’s how you become greater.”

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Overcoming Insecurity in Leadership

• Staff as Future Leaders—not Threats
  Derrick recalls an intern who joined straight from university and later became Head of Strategy at another agency.

  • Quote (02:41):
    “When she left us, she’s head of strategy. I’m so proud that another person sees someone that started here and said, this person can head my strategy.”
  • He stresses pride, not resentment, when proteges succeed elsewhere.

• The Circle of Talent & Healthy Turnover
  Employee departures, even for competitors, are natural and sometimes positive.

  • Quote (03:14):
    “It’s the circle of life. Not everybody wants to run with you for life.”
  • Employers should prepare for departures, stay adaptable, and avoid feeling "naked" when someone leaves.

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Competition: With Yourself, Not Your Team

• Reframing Competition
  Derrick distinguishes productive self-competition from toxic rivalry with employees.

  • Quote (03:26):
    “Once you accept that, you stop competing with them, you start competing with yourself, which is the control you need.”
  • Leaders should focus on self-improvement, not insecurity about being outshone.

• Let Go to Grow
  Creating space for new talent fosters continuous growth for both individuals and the business.

  • Quote (04:50):
    “A closed door doesn’t just trap the visitor, it traps the house owner.”
  • Keeping the door open lets new greatness enter—and avoids stagnation.

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The Psychology of Winning (& Losing)

• Play to Win—Or Rethink the Game
  Only pursue endeavors in which you believe you can excel.

  • Quote (06:14):
    “If you go into a particular spot knowing fully well, convinced in your mind that you are going to not be the best, you have no room to grow beyond where you currently started from. Why do it?”

• Derrick shares how he stopped playing games where he couldn’t win and gravitated toward his strengths instead.

  • Quote (08:14):
    “I changed the playing field … and on my fort, I’m the greatest.”

• Coping With Loss & Channeling Pain
  Disliking loss is normal; putting effort where one can win is better than persisting at an unsuitable pursuit.

  • Quote (07:30):
    “It’s hurtful. It’s painful. It’s a disturbing process. So I don’t put myself through that.”

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Personal Success & Healthy Self-Competition

• Competition Within the Family
  Derrick discusses how, even among siblings, healthy competition pushes each one to self-reliance and growth.

• Success definitions are personal; true progress comes from self-assessment and leveraging strengths.

• Quote (10:07):
  “We have this innate ability as boys, my family, where we concentrate ourselves. If I won’t be successful by me, then it will be unfair to expect the world to give me something that I myself cannot go and chase.”

• Advice to Young Entrepreneurs (Especially in Africa)
  Recognize your limitations, play to your strengths, and focus your energy where you have natural advantage.

  • Quote (10:57):
    “It won’t matter if you yourself are not comfortable with accepting your limitations. First and foremost, a lot of us assume that all of us can be successful the same way. We can’t. I know my limitations … Once you find that thing, that is your strength. Honing on it.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “A closed door doesn’t just trap the visitor, it traps the house owner.” — Host (04:37)
• “Imitation is the highest form of flattery.” — Host (01:49)
• “You stop competing with them, you start competing with yourself.” — Host (03:26)
• “If you cannot convince yourself of greatness, how would you convince somebody else to follow you down that road?” — Host (06:47)
• “The rules of the games have changed, so now we are no longer playing by their rules. I’m playing by mine.” — Host (08:14)

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Key Timestamps

• 00:29 – Football & business analogy
• 01:49 – On staff emulating their bosses
• 02:41 – Intern’s success story
• 03:14 – On talent moving on
• 04:50 – Openness versus closed systems
• 06:07 – Why you should play to win
• 08:14 – Switching to your strengths
• 10:07 – Healthy competition in the family
• 10:57 – Embracing limitations and maximizing strengths

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Summary Takeaways

• Entrepreneurial greatness is amplified by hiring, empowering, and celebrating other smart people.
• Competition is only productive when it’s with oneself; fostering a strong team is more important than always needing to be “the smartest.”
• Recognizing and honing one’s strengths, while being unafraid to let talent move on, ensures long-term business and personal growth.

The episode closes as a powerful encouragement to entrepreneurs: unlock your business’s real potential, hire better, and never fear being outshone—greatness multiplies when shared.

Transcript

[Grainger Announcer]

Grainger knows. When you're a procurement manager for an office park, you're not managing one building, you're managing all of them. And to stay ahead, you need to see through walls and around corners. Lights about to fail, filters ready to clog H Vac on its last leg. If you wait until something breaks, you're already behind. Count on Grainger for quality products, easy reordering and 24. 7 support. Call 1-800-GRAINGER click grainger.com or just stop by Granger. For the ones who get it done,

[Host/Entrepreneur]

the actual execution, the brain beneficial has to be somebody else who gets it. I was again, to use football analogy, this season everybody's talking about how great Pep and how great Pep season has been. What they are not seeing is that Pep hired a new assistant this year. Pep. His name is also Pep too. Lindas. He used to work with Klopp. He joined Pepsi man. They've been talking about how innovative he is, how he's added more tactical news and all of those. I'm thinking to myself, go and look at Pep's assistants. They are all supposedly greats now. Which means Pep was not the only genius on his team. Ateta was his assistant. Maresca was his assistant. These were all his assistants.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Host/Entrepreneur]

Meaning he also surrounded himself with people who were smart. Because if you think about the work has done with asthma, it's incredible. Imagine if he was working with Pep. Imagine the two of them together. Do you know what that team would. And we saw what they did when they were all together. They won trophies. So what we are experiencing is a combination of greatness. And that's what most entrepreneurs don't do. You have to be able to marry your greatness with somebody else's own, because that's how you become greater.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Well, the problem is that this part of the world, you start a business Die Hard, you know, for that business, you bring somebody on and the person quickly want to compete with you.

[Host/Entrepreneur]

And that's something that I realized. That happens a lot.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Host/Entrepreneur]

And it's true. In fact, I was speaking at an event the other day and this. This thing came up. You hire someone, you train them because you found something, you saw something. Them. Yes. And then you train them and then they want to automatically become you. I think it's a. It's something to be proud of. I don't even get upset. I. I worry very hard when I have people on my team who don't think that they can do it without me. There's something they say, there's a saying that Imitation is the highest form of flattery. If people see your work, come to you and say, you know what, you can go and replicate this. Especially when they actually successfully do it. I'm proud. I used to have an employee. She joined as an intern. I always say everywhere. She joined as an intern. Green, straight out of university, never worked in marketing before her life, had never seen the marketing. In fact, doesn't even know the industry existed.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

I see.

[Host/Entrepreneur]

She joined us. Now she's head of strategies at another agency. She's head of strategy at another agency. When she joined us, we put her through the paces. Client partnership strategy. When she left us as a strategist. When she left us, she's head of strategy. I'm so proud that another person sees someone that started here and said, this person can head my strategy. You know what that tells me?

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Let's say when the two boys that founded Flutterwave.

[Host/Entrepreneur]

Yeah.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

And then the other person within, before they even raised money, the other person ran away to set up another one. Competition for. For the same business.

[Host/Entrepreneur]

It happens. And it's the, it's the. Is the circle of life. Not everybody wants to run with you for life.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

And we should accept that once, once

[Host/Entrepreneur]

you accept that, you stop competing with them, you start competing with yourself and which is the control you need. You start to push yourself because you know very clearly that this person may leave and it will be okay. So what do I need to ensure that when this person leaves, I don't feel naked. I've never hired someone that I cannot shake his hands and say, thank you for your time. I've had people that left Mexican startup brand agency and I'm excited. I'm like, do you. I've had people that left me. When you go and join competition, do you.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

You genuinely believe that competition is healthy?

[Host/Entrepreneur]

Because if you are not in compete, if you're not competing with them negatively, I'm competing with myself. You. I. I have no concerns that. Because whether or not I tell you not to, you will still do it. Whether or not I train you, you will still go. It's not a marriage, it's a contract for employment. I was employed by someone and I left. So why should I be said that someone else wants to leave? Leave. I would shake you, escort you out the door and tell you, knock on my door when you need it. Does it mean I would open? Depends on how you left. Does it mean I would invite you in and serve you coffee again? Depends on how you left. But you know what? I won't do barricade the door and lock myself inside. Because a closed door doesn't just trap the visitor, it traps the house owner.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Love it. Never heard it like this, but love it.

[Host/Entrepreneur]

So I want other people to come in. I want other greatness to come in. I saw you were great and you want to go, that's okay. I opened the door. I lived up. Because I'm also hoping that somebody else who's greater because I strongly believe that you're not the greatest person in the world. There's always like, there's always someone else out there. The grass is always in, quote, greener. So someone out there who can do it differently. So I'm like, let's open up. So the same way I'm letting you out, I'm like, listen someone else in. But right now I lock the door. I would never be greater than what you have me and you would be the max. Yeah, that cannot be it for me because I cannot accept that.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Let me stop you here for a minute. So if it's your first time watching Connected Minds or you have been here before but still have not subscribed, do us a favor, because majority of the people that watch our videos have not subscribed. This doesn't help us grow beyond what we expect. So help us by hitting the subscribe button. Thank you. Now let's get back to the conversation. You know something interesting you said in an interview, you said, only play to win. And I think it was an interview where you were saying, you know, why play the sport anyway if you are not going to win?

[Host/Entrepreneur]

Yes.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Now, does that mean people should quit their. Their careers, their businesses, their endeavors if they can be the first?

[Host/Entrepreneur]

I don't think anybody should quit anything if you can be the first. I have a strong belief that if you go into a particular spot knowing fully well, convinced in your mind that you are going to not be the best, you have no room to grow beyond where you currently started from. Why do it?

[Interviewer/Co-host]

So if I'm starting a company today that is supposedly going to compete with Red Africa as a group, you have

[Host/Entrepreneur]

to strongly believe, yeah, first and foremost, that that company will be as great as Red Africa at the very least.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

And if I don't have that conviction,

[Host/Entrepreneur]

they are wasting your time. Because if you cannot convince yourself of greatness, how would you convince somebody else to follow you down that road? Every sport I play games. Some games I don't just play. For example, I would play combat games. But I stopped playing Mortal Kombat and the likes because I realized very clearly that I didn't have the patience to learn the skill. There's time in my life when I could do it. All the back, forward, backward, I could do it, but I didn't have the patience to learn it, to be the best at it. So I stopped doing. I stopped playing because my cousins will beat me to stupor. And I realized, hold on a minute. They're quite good at this thing, but I'm not good at it. Why compete?

[Interviewer/Co-host]

How do you feel when you lose?

[Host/Entrepreneur]

Oh, I don't like losing.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

How do you feel?

[Host/Entrepreneur]

It's hurtful. It's painful. It's a. It's a disturbing process. So I don't put myself through that. Okay. With losing when I'm sure that there's a possibility of winning. Let me explain. I play fierce, and I play fighter games, Street Fighter and the rest. And they will beat me. And knowing how long I have been playing the game and how much time I need to play the game, I realized I cannot beat these guys. I don't have the conviction or the patience to learn the moves or move the keypad the way they do it. I've tried. I've seen myself truly put in the effort. And I realized I cannot beat these boys.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

You can't go through that pain.

[Host/Entrepreneur]

I won't go through this pain because I don't have the dedication for it. So what I did, I. I stopped playing those games. I started playing football.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Because you're good at that?

[Host/Entrepreneur]

Because I was good at that. I know what I did. I changed the playing field. Somebody want to play? I'm like, Want to play? P.S. i'm not playing street fighter. Don't worry. Get play street Fighter. Okay, Play football. Play football. Then I will beat everybody. And then what happens? The rules of the games have changed, so now we are no longer playing by their rules. I playing by mine. And on my fourth, I'm the greatest. So here's what happens. Eventually, they stopped competing with me and left me to be great by myself. And that's okay?

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Nah. I'm just about to explore something. Just one second. How many siblings do you have?

[Host/Entrepreneur]

I have three. Three? My mom.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

And how many of them are, quote, unquote, as successful as you are?

[Host/Entrepreneur]

What do you mean by success? Financial success?

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Financial success? Yes.

[Host/Entrepreneur]

Honestly speaking, because I'm the second born, it's a little tricky to define because again, this is in Africa. We define success by age and all that. But my brothers are very successful. My other brother is really successful. I don't know what finances are, but again, I only know mine because Men,

[Interviewer/Co-host]

we don't, but you know, the family call for contributions. And how does that make you feel?

[Host/Entrepreneur]

I'm quite comfortable with it. Like I said, it's my elder brother. I don't care.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay, so at this point, on the 9th of September, Connected Minds Live, we are meeting at Kumasi or Sacro. Don't go anywhere, just stay right here with me. But if you want to get a ticket to our entrepreneurs event in Kumasi, the details are in the description and you can also check in the comments. You don't want to miss this. I'm trying to understand because I figured out in this conversation that competition can be a great thing.

[Host/Entrepreneur]

Yes.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

But do you also have a very competitive mindset?

[Host/Entrepreneur]

With myself, yes.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Which makes me start to think around. I'm like, okay, cool, right? There's a 19 year old watching us, whoever is watching us and then he's thinking, that's a great mindset. But how does, how do I make sure that it's actually for myself and not towards others?

[Host/Entrepreneur]

So I always say they. There is no. You mentioned about my brothers. I grew up in a home of boys. We competed with each other, we still compete. My younger brother is so competitive. I'm always like, if you just ask me, I will help you. But he'll be like, no. Why? My younger brother is, I don't need your money. So you see why we can't measure wealth. Because there's a sense of I don't need you to help me. I would be fine all by myself. Some other places it might look like pride, but I see it for what it is. We have this innate ability as boys, my family, where we concentrate ourselves. If I won't be successful by me, then it will be unfair to expect the world to give me something that I myself cannot go and chase. For a young man growing up in Ghana, Accra, Nigeria, I'll say this, it won't matter if you yourself are not comfortable with accepting your limitations. First and foremost, a lot of us assume that all of us can be successful the same way. We can't. I know my limitations. I quickly discovered, I told you the reason why I quit Street Fighter to play football is I knew very quickly that I had in some with how much I can learn of Street Fighter. Once you are able to accept your decisions, you know what happens next. Your brain starts to focus on only your strengths. If you say, you know what, I am not great at reading books. It's so, it's, it's such a relieving space when you say I will not be the type that read books, but I know one thing I'm good at. I am the type that would take a note and I can go online, make a research and find the information. Once you find that thing, that is your strength. Honing on it Connected Minds Podcast

[Grainger Announcer]

Grainger knows When you're a procurement manager for an office park, you're not managing one building, you're managing all of them. And to stay ahead, you need to see through walls and around corners. Lights about to fail, filters ready to clog H Vac on its last leg. If you wait until something breaks, you're already behind. Count on Grainger for quality products, easy reordering, and 24. 7 support. Call 1-800-granger. Click granger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.