Weekly Thought – April 4, 2017
Fred’s understanding of people created a high demand for his consulting services. He was particularly effective in labor negotiations, sales/marketing campaigns, and board restructuring. He had a clear view and a sound mind when it came to the productivity of organizations. Fred’s ideas were utilized throughout his 60 year business career. Later on Jim Collins popularized these concepts with the “right people in the right seats” language of Good to Great.
Maximizing Effectiveness
The secret of any organization’s success is choosing the right people to play key roles. I recently read about business executive Bernard Tapie who became famous in France by taking over failing corporations and turning them into successful money makers. He developed an empire of 45 companies. His secret: whenever he assumed control of a failing business he immediately brought in his fifteen member management team to reorganize. They worked like a well-oiled machine and repeated the process over and over.
One of the most important aspects of successful leadership is putting together a group of people to carry out the mission. Great athletic coaches know they must have talent to win and so take an active role in the recruiting process. Teams that just happen get happenstance results.
In the small organization staffing can be particularly vexing. But it is extremely important. A costly mistake in smaller operations is thinking they can get by with inferior employees because they aren’t large. Actually, the opposite is true. In a firm of one hundred employees, if one doesn’t pull their weight, it is a loss of 1% productivity. If a company has only 3 employees, one who is unproductive represents 33% of the workforce.
Attracting the right people requires enthusiastically selling your organization to quality prospects. Julian Price who built Jefferson Standard Life Insurance Company surprised the industry by his ability to draw outstanding men and women to a small, regional company in the South. It was small, but mighty in its people pull. In interviewing he would say, “We are going to build a mighty company here. Don’t you want to be part of it?” The challenge of growth and the promise of a future brought many to Greensboro, North Carolina.
Leaders should not be timid about going for the most qualified who bring to the organization the skills needed for growth. When we believe in our vision and our mission it becomes a critical endeavor and one worth sharing. People want to be part of something exciting. Finding the right people to fulfill the dream is the privilege and responsibility of leadership.
This week carefully consider: 1) How strong are my recruiting skills? 2) What is the profile of my ideal team member? 3) When do I enjoy pulling together on a project?
Words of Wisdom: “Teams that just happen get happenstance results.”
Wisdom from the Word: “The one who works his field will have plenty of food, but whoever chases daydreams lacks wisdom.” (Proverbs 12:11 NET Bible)