About that bus …
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Lately it seems that everyone is giving us some version of Jim Collins' advice to make sure we "get the right people on the bus" before we start creating strategy. For example, Douglas R. Conant, President and CEO of the Campbell Soup Company, says this in an HBR post titled: "Mining Your Company's Talent."
"Getting the right people on the bus, to use Jim Collins' phrase, is the single most important thing a manager can do."
The advice is simple and straightforward. Reality is more complicated.
Most bosses don't pick their teams. They are assigned to a team or a team is assigned to them. So their first step is usually looking around the bus to see who's there.
Knowing who "the right people" are isn't all that easy either. You often can't tell by looking and work histories and performance reviews are frequently unhelpful.
So you start driving the bus while you suss out who should stay and who should be pitched through the window. That's not easy either. There are policies and procedures to be followed. Those days of just chucking the "unfit" out the window are long gone.
Oh, yeah, some of those people on the bus won't be "unfit." They'll turn out to be OK, but not exactly what you want, leaving you with the options of helping them improve, persuading them to take another bus, or just dealing with OK but not great performance.
When you've got some seats to fill, you've got to find the "right people" to sit in them. You know, of course, that recruiting is not an exact science and that once you bring someone on board it will take a while before they can do the job.
Boss's Bottom Line
This is the kind of guru advice where the principle (get the best people you
can) is good, but to use it you have to deal with reality that's a lot messier
than it seems in the books.
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Wally, I always love posts about buses. There must be something deep in my subconscious. Anyway, I agree with the idea that in a perfect world, we would choose those people who ride the bus with us.
However it makes you stronger as a leader to be able to keep all passengers on board. They may not all agree with the route you are taking, and challenge your leadership skills.Through this challenge, the road ahead will be more interesting. Miriam
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I confess that I never thought I'd be attracting bus fans to the blog. But you make a good point, Miriam. Reality and the challenge for most managers is to help the team they have and the team members succeed. Thanks for commenting.
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You definitely want the right people on the bus, in particular the driver - otherwise, where's the bus going? On a side note, it would interesting if schools started teaching social and leadership skills instead of all that boring geography and science. Just kidding about science.
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You know, I think I'd be happy if we could increase our graduation rate with young people able to read and write and do 'rithmetic. I have modest goals. Thanks, Laura.
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I agree with you and if anything "getting the right people" is overestimated. It is important to get people that will do well that which needs to be done. But a much bigger key I think is developing people, not de-motivating them... and all the things you do, and should do, to the people you have...
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Good point, John. I've seen far too many "sub-par" performers turn around with a different boss or a different assignment. Thanks for adding to the discussion.
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The right people on the bus is a wonderful idea when you have the option. You're right. It's not that easy. On another level, getting them in the right seats is another way to make it work. Too often we can't always choose our staff but we do have control over what they are responsible for. I suggest that we notice abilities and tap into strengths to build a motivating environment. Without that observation and action, some of your best riders are likely to get off at the next stop.
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You make good points, Helen. It seems to me that often we concentrate on getting "the best" (whatever that means) people on the bus, so we hire or select with star quality in mind. On the whole, we might do better hiring for attitude and then training people well and treating them right. Thanks for the comment.
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I feel that delegating the right task to the right person is just as important as getting people on 'the bus'. It is not always an easy task knowing what to delegate and to whom. And adding to that is the anxiety that the person might not do the job as well as it should be done.
I have often noticed that some managers are incapable of delegating tasks because they find it easier to just to do the work themselves.
Because they don't 'trust' their team mates' abilities.
So once you have got people on 'the bus', you need to learn to trust that people will do their job. Or if they don't, teach them how to and leave it at that.
- Girish
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Excellent points, Girish, thanks. You're right that assigning work effectively is as important, as easier to control, than "getting the right people on the bus." And you're right, too, that many managers don't delegate because they find it easier to do the work themselves. The problem is that behavior is a career killer when you reach a point that you can't do it all yourself.
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I'm glad a CEO realises that performance reviews are frequently unhelpful: to everyone, I'd add.
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Thanks for commenting.
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