If you are a manager and you are starting at a new company, it is great that you have already some key people from your past experiences that you would like to bring onboard to fill key roles and take important responsibilities.

As you do that, be mindful of two things though.

The people in the company might feel like they are missing an opportunity. How are you going to address that? What is the rationale behind you hiring new people you know versus promoting somebody who has already done a great job in the organisation? Do you have a process in mind to assess competence and eventually make a decision?

And even most importantly, by doing that you are accepting the idea that what worked previously at another company will also work this time around. Is that realistic or is that wishful thinking? How much does it have to do with you wanting it to be that way? Are you going to make sure you can keep your eyes open to the unexpected and the unknown?