February 17, 2010
Last week we looked at one of the key elements of Jim Collins’ “Good to Great”. One of the key chapters in this book about how mediocre companies became great was Chapter 3 – FIRST WHO … THEN WHAT. This chapter highlighted the importance of getting the right people into a company in order for the company to become great. That makes sense, but …
How do you know who the right people are?
Let us look at some of the characteristics of the Right People:
They Want to Do Something Great!
The people who can help make a good company great have a burning desire to do something great, both in their personal lives and their business lives. They are not willing to settle for putting in their hours, going home having a drink and watching TV, and repeating the lifeless cycle the next day. Look at a persons’ past history. If they have an unremarkable record of going to school, and no additional activities (part time job, sports, community service, a passionate hobby, etc.), there is little evidence that they are going to do something great.
The “Do Something Great” person may well have a “non-linear” history. They may have dropped out of college, they may have not have finished on time. They may have taken a year off to work and pursue something unusual. They are definitely not like the people you encounter in government civil service employees.
They Have an Unnatural Curiosity
People who help a Good company become Great have an unnatural curiosity about everything they encounter. They want to know why people do things. They want to know how things work. They probably will be telling you something about an obscure TV show like “How It’s Made” or “Building Big.” This heightened level of curiosity will make them ask probing questions and push their colleagues to do something different and possibly something Great.
They May Have a Chip on Their Shoulder
If your company has positions where a college education is generally preferred but intellect and drive can be a substitute for the diploma, then you may be able to offer a win/win situation for a particular type of individual. There are many people who, for whatever reason, did not go to or finish their college education.
Many of these people are bound and determined to prove to themselves and the rest of the world that they are not only as smart as a college graduate, but in fact they are better able to do the work than a college graduate. When you find that type of motivated individual, you have found a gem.
There are probably other traits of people that can help you make your company or department or group Great, but the traits that I have outlined above can be helpful as well.
That is it for this week. Post your comments on the Blog and let us stimulate the discussion.
Thanks,
Ted S. Miller