Peter, great analysis and very detailed. The phrase "gaining a partner" versus "hiring a fill-in-the-blank" to me is the key to being a successful manager.  My two years at that company taught me the dark side of hiring because I wasn't originally trying to gain partners.  Once I did, things started getting much more fun and interesting. Thanks for taking the time to comment. I'm going to follow up with another post in a couple of days.