Most people are not getting paid for their objective output. Instead, perceived value is a mix of decent results and reliability/predictability, which reduces complexity and cognitive load.

Then there is cultural fit, or compatibility. This is how much you appear to be listening, and how appropriately you are using the right words at the right time to the respective people you work with. In some sense, your job is to figure out and cater to the preferences of your work environment: making others feel comfortable, non-threatened and smarter than they are.

Some people claim wanting to hire “people that are smarter than I”. I suppose that is mostly lip-service. Working with people that are smarter than you – or having people that are smarter than you work for/under you – is challenging. They may be quicker, more knowledgeable, and they probably communicate at a level that is not easy to process for those less smart. Hence, you have a hard time following their arguments or fully comprehending the conclusions they reach. Then how are you supposed to approve or reject their proposed strategy or action? Tough. One way is to cut them free of your supervision. But that takes a lot of trust, or a low need for full control, which most founders and managers don’t have.

What people might actually mean by to hiring people smarter than they are, is hiring people that are not smarter per se, but have complementing skillsets or expertise, like hiring a legal specialist or someone who wants to deal with hiring and people.