This month I was lucky enough to spend five days hiking in Glacier National Park in Montana. It was a thrilling experience in one of the most beautiful places on this planet. While the hiking is tremendous, there is one big downside to the park — the bears, or grizzlies to be exact! I hadn't realized what a real threat the bears are until I started doing my homework on the trip and the hikes. And, coincidentally, the week before I left I interviewed a candidate who was born and raised in Missoula, Montana. He's an experienced hiker who told me that his University of Montana college fraternity brother and date (who were also experienced hikers) were killed by grizzlies in Glacier. Wow! I don't mind telling you, I was scared. (Needless to say, I didn't share this information with my 85-year old mother!) When I got to Montana, I bought an extra large can of bear spray! On Nature's Alert When you hike, you carry your spray, speak loudly to your partner or ring your "bear bells" to frighten the bears away. (The local joke is: How can you tell the difference between brown bear scat and grizzly scat? The grizzly scat has bells in it!) There is always the possibility of an attack. Although a friend (who is also a park ranger) gave me thorough instructions on how to react to an attack, I don't mind telling you I was still pretty scared! Here's what happened. Obviously (because I'm here writing to you) there were no attacks (Hell — I didn't even see a bear!). But, I did notice something about myself. Because of my fears, all of my senses were heightened. As I walked along the trails, the grasses seemed to move, the scent of the forest was stronger, the earth smelled "earthier," and the sounds of the small animals around me seemed somehow loud. My body was on high alert. On Your Career Alert I was reminded on those hikes of another time I was on "high alert." It was 20 years ago and I had just landed my first sales management job. I had managed sales channels before but never a direct sales force. I knew the hiring manager had interviewed candidates more qualified than me. But I put on my sales hat and convinced him that I could do the best job. During my first year on the job you can bet that my antennae were up. Just like with the Glacier trip, I did my homework. I knew what I was getting into and took nothing for granted. I paid more attention to the corporate surroundings and I did more work on my own time to guarantee that I was a success — in other words, I took all the precautions to survive. And, I not only survived, I excelled! Four out of the five years I managed we had record-breaking sales, going well over-quota each year. The Edge So this is what I think. Sometimes it's better to hire a less experienced person for whom your job represents a real stretch instead of a candidate who sees the job as a "slam dunk." That less experienced candidate will likely do what I did and bring a healthy sense of fear of failure that will give them the edge to ace your job! And, they'll be grateful to you for the opportunity you gave them to excel. It's a positive experience for both of you! Remember, I said sometimes. You'll never know until you try it. And I think you'll find, as in my experience, most of the time the bears don't actually get you!!