It's an easy productivity tweak for your whole operation to just switch how you look at things from the other opinions posted here to this way, IMHO.
I've had to grow a large staff in the dearth of available people in the 90's and we did just fine technically. Mentoring and leading isn't just managers. Picking people that are able to conceptually and effectually lead in their technical role, (while more challenging to find and often harder to manage), are great force multipliers.
Hiring is an art best practiced by the person on the hook for results, not an HR or hiring consultant or some other source. You really need to build a village of skills, personalities and often sense talent before the individual is even aware of it.
I love team building and I love helping individuals rise to excellence. Probably the single most rewarding aspect of my career.