HYLAND
I've never really hired down. I've hired up and even then,
occasionally, been very disappointed. Because it can
happen. I want people to bring ideas to the table. I want
people who work on my team to be people who get
out there and bring back creativity. I might shoot these
ideas down some of the time, but I like having people
around that are contributors. I love enthusiasm. My life
is so completely involved in my career and has been,
my whole life, that one wants people who share in that
ideal - who are committed to behaving as if it is their
own company.
Why do clients come to you?
I've never been afraid of challenging my clients or myself.
Whenever I have felt that I'm getting in a complacent
situation, I've pulled the rug from out under myself and
started again. One has got to take risks.
I really believe that.
There's so much that's new out there that one has
to embrace and incorporate into what one's doing. A
large percentage of my work is predicated on the use
of contemporary art and probably one of the biggest
reasons we enjoy a high-proļ¬le in China and Asia - as
people there are very eager to collect. The books that
I've published, illustrate our ability to work with great
art, designing environments around great art.
On the subject of art: undervalued artist(s)?
