In 2001, researcher, consultant and author Jim Collins wrote a book titled, “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t.” I recommend this book as much today as I did 20 years ago, because Collins identified distinct actions and practices that separate above-average from average organizations. If an organization wants to move from being good to being great, it’s beneficial to know what those practices are and make a habit of them.
Before I continue, allow me to state that one obstacle to improving a business is believing the organization is already above average. Perhaps you remember the tongue-in-cheek phrase from Garrison Keillor’ book, “Lake Wobegon.” Keillor’s now-famous setting was, “Welcome to Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.” Strangely, some organizations actually believe that about themselves. The problem? Companies that think they’re already great often fail to press forward into greatness.
By way of an overview, Collins says the best first step to becoming great is for a company to identify its passion. This requires a brutally honest self-evaluation and a clear decision. Without a strong declaration of what an organization does any why they do it, it risks remaining mediocre.
With that advice in place, let me move on to the bus analogy Collins uses to discuss the workforce itself. The bus represents the organization, and a primary task is getting the right people on the bus. Finding people who align with your vision, mission and passion is fundamental. That’s why it’s important to have good leaders who can articulate those things. But beyond that, a key step toward developing a great organization is making sure the people on your bus are sitting in the right seats.
Allow me to share an example from my work with a major corporation. I was hired to teach a teambuilding course for senior and middle managers at the company’s four North America locations. The course was one day per month for six months. Three of the locations did great with the material and improvements were noticeable, but one location struggled. After a few months, I realized that Collins’ bus analogy applied. This location had the right people on the bus (everyone in management was super talented and all had a passion for the company’s mission), but half of them were sitting in the wrong seats.
To offer a few specifics, a man who had strong experience in human resources was serving as an operations manager. A man who had experience as an operations manager was overseeing the maintenance department. And, a woman with an extensive finance background was overseeing human resources.
I met privately with the vice president overseeing that location, shared my observations, and suggested a few position swaps be made. He didn’t want to do it, and, as you might imagine, the team struggled. It wasn’t until that particular vice president was fired and replaced that the recommended changes were made. And, as I predicted, after people were put in positions where they could shine with their proven skills, productivity started humming along at a much-improved pace.
Two Principles for Placing People
In a way, the organization mentioned above was fortunate. Although several key people at the one location were in the wrong seats on their bus, they were capable and had a passion for the company’s mission. Some organizations are struggling to get the right people on the bus to begin with.
Getting the right people is a vital factor in the equation of creating a great organization. However, as many hiring managers already know, finding people who are the right fit is both an art and a science.
Collins posits two principles, and I wholeheartedly agree with both of them.
First, when in doubt, don’t hire – keep looking. Second, when you know you need to make a change in personnel, act right away.
Regarding the “when in doubt, don’t hire – keep looking” principle, please underscore that statement and write it in cement. Making a hire because an applicant’s skills are “close enough” is analogous to the overused horseshoes and hand-grenades axiom. Time and again I’ve seen this scenario create more problems than it solves. In some cases, phenomenally more problems, including the loss of valuable, high-performing personnel.
I acknowledge it’s painful to wait a long time to find a good fit, but wait.
I also heartily endorse the principle of making changes right away when you know they need to be made. If the vice president mentioned above had shifted people around when I’d recommended it, he might not have lost his job, and might have even been rewarded for making a huge, positive impact on that location’s productivity.
By the same token, if you know someone needs to be outright fired, don’t dilly dally in doing it. In only a few limited circumstances have I seen it beneficial to keep someone around who needed to be cut from the payroll.
Let me also address promoting someone beyond their capabilities. For example, if a person is promoted after doing well for many years in a previous position, but now is struggling, termination shouldn’t be the only option. If the person can serve the company in a different role, even if it involves a demotion to the previous role, discuss the options with him or her. I personally know several people who struggled in new positions after years of doing great work. Sadly, all were fired, even though they would have gladly taken a pay cut and gone back to what they were previously doing.
Think of it this way. Each of those people were valuable employees who were kicked off the bus because someone in leadership made the mistake of taking them from their proper seats and putting them in the wrong seats.
It is increasingly difficult to find good employees these days, but if you want a great company, wait for the best fit. Taking time to ensure people are in the best seat on the bus for their aptitude and skill set will go a long way to helping your company become great.
Daniel Bobinski, M.Ed. is a best-selling author and a popular speaker at conferences and retreats. For more than 30 years he’s been working with teams and individuals (1:1 coaching) to help them achieve excellence. He was also teaching Emotional Intelligence since before it was a thing. Reach Daniel on his office phone, (208) 375-7606, or through his website, www.MyWorkplaceExcellence.com.
