In his book, Good to Great, Jim Collins provides evidence that those companies that are great put first things first – they get the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off the bus). In Mr. Collin’s words, they “did the WHO before they did the WHAT.” Sometimes focusing on the “who” means making rigorous, even ruthless decisions in order to build a team who all are exceptional and committed to the organization. The “what” (vision and mission casting) follows after you have the right people.
Here’s the take-away for you and your organization. Are the right people on your team? Collins says that the moment that you need to tightly manage someone is when you made a bad hiring decision. The best people just need to be guided, not controlled. Or take a look at the skill level of your managers. Are they aware that their number 1 priority is to provide guidance and coaching for their staff? Do they have the skills to help a marginal performer transform to an exceptional worker? Are you allowing the wrong people to continue to divert energy from your high performers?
What about your organization’s hiring policies? How much time are you taking to ensure that the right person gets hired? When I was looking for a job, I was always impressed when a company spent a lot of time on the interviewing process. Indeed, when I was hired at Weyerhaeuser Company as a training consultant, the interviewing process included my meeting with several team members, my conducting a training session for their staff, and my participating in a rigorous assessment process so that they could see that not only did I have the skills, but that I would fit in with the company culture.
My next entry will focus on another way you can create a culture of contribution – by engaging your staff and your customers.
