Why risk the baptism by fire?

Putting unqualified people with potential in an important position is often seen as a fun risk with a big upside for a leader. An unqualified person is cheaper to hire. If the unqualified person succeeds, the leader looks like a genius talent scout. The down side is the fire damage along the way. Incompetence and inexperience always have a cost if they are not handled with appropriate measures. Baptism by fire is rarely cost-effective in the long run even though it feels good in the moment because you feel like you’re getting a discount. The truth is, in the rare successful case, fire always leaves its mark.