I thought it was my idea, but apparently not. This Slashdot comment says it was Rockefeller’s.
This is exactly how Rockefeller was thinking: when you come across talent, you hire, then you adapt your business based on the people available. Even if in the short term it does not fit in an existing MS-Project plan, over the years you build a strong core and the team is driving the business, not the other way around. And if people walk away to get more experience, you keep the door open so you can benefit from what they did elsewhere.
I said it a few times though – if you are lucky enough to come across someone awesome – hire him (or her) straight away. Even if you don’t know at that moment how you will use the person. You will figure it out later. In the best case scenario you won’t even have to – really cool people usually know how to occupy themselves and how to improve your business. In the worst case scenario, you can always fire them. Firing is much simpler of a process than hiring.