In Good to Great, Jim Collins says that great organizations and teams begin with disciplined people.
The great ones, according to his research, are all led by “Level 5 Leaders” who are characterized by professional will and personal humility.
The second tier of disciplined people is the concept of “First Who, Then What.” Collins defines this by stating that rather than deciding where you want to take your team, your first decision should be to make sure you have (to use his phrase) “the right people on the bus.”
Get the right people on the bus, put them in the right seats, and you will end it in a great place.
Makes sense to me.
Through the years, one of my biggest priorities as a leader has been to try to surround myself with great people.
I highly recommend it for you too.
When looking for the “right” teammate I like to focus on the following:
1. Character – You need people of high character . . . people you can trust. Integrity leads to Influence! Where have I heard that before?
2. Chemistry – Life is too short to surround yourself with people who are a drain. Build a team of people that you love to work with, and you will find your work much more energizing.
3. Competency – I like to be surrounded by people who are smarter than I am. Like me, there are things you are gifted to do and other things you have no business attempting. Be honest with yourself and hire someone smarter.
If you want to be a great leader, start with the right team.
Character, chemistry, and competency should be the prerequisites for someone to “ride your bus.”
i2i,
Randy
What traits do you like to look for when building a team?
Randy – That was an outstanding blog on leadership today.
Thanks!!!
Thanks KB
Great blog Randy! Getting the right people on the bus is key and also an ongoing process. When Jim talkes about surrounding yourself with the right people,I beleive that it is very important that you surround yourself with people who know more than you. It took a long time for me to understand this!
I hear you Paul. But once I learned this, I realized the people around me make my life so much better!
Thanks Kevin!
Getting the right people on the bus is very important but even more critical is getting them in the right seats. Everyone has different strengths and gifts. Getting them in a position to use those strengths to their fullest helps them and the organization.
So true kid . . . Keep driving the bus bro!
Thanks Randy,
So very true. It is difficult for insecure people to see this and admit to the fact that we all have weaknesses. Finding honest, confident yet humble people are so good to find, no matter how difficult it is to find them.