“Who?... What?...”
Finally got to the 3rd chapter of "Good to Great". No, it was not easy for me to relate to this chapter at all. I never
had the pleasure of personally hiring someone. However, I have been involved on occasion in the decision-making process. And, yes - I do understand where Jim is coming
from. Before I end this entry, I will try to simplify the business concept. That is, "First Who, then What" is nothing short of intuitive when we fall-back on some basics.
In my thirteen years of corporate exposure, I have had the opportunity to work in several environments
where the “right people" where already "on the bus”. Similarly, other environments with
the “wrong people”. I have had the opportunity to lead people – but not by
authority. Because the project demanded it, I was suddenly taking charge of several individuals, each with their own agenda. Herding cats would actually be easy by comparison.
In the occasions where I was lucky enough to have the right people, the team was
focused and ready to run. On the other not-so-lucky occasions, I secretly wished I
could have changed the “occupants on the bus” - not just where they where sitting. Ha. Unfortunately, it was not my place to do so.
However, that’s not quite what the chapter is about. It is viewed from a much higher level and encompasses the business concept/model from a management viewpoint. No doubt, Jim Collins seems to have a “formula” for the path to greatness, and is as follows:
