Get the right people on the bus
If we ask- What do you understand by the phrase ‘Get the right people on the bus’ sentence, how would you answer? One would probably talk about and elaborate on the book Good to Great by Jim Collins, right?
This concept finely highlights the importance of the right people for any organization. Dreaming of taking your organization to the next level is great thinking but hiring and trusting the right people for your company is the first step to be followed.
Jim Collins’s book reflects the concept of onboarding the right people to the organization so that you can taste success. Founders whose vision is to build great organizations need to make sure to have ‘the right people on the bus’.
For example, if you are starting a new business and hiring for the same, you would seek a workforce who agrees with your mission and aligns with your long-term vision. The stronger the vision, the stronger the mission.
Here are some key learnings from the ‘Get the right people on the bus’ concept.
1- Focus on people, not the destination: Prioritizing the right people to be your co-passengers on the bus is much more important than focusing on the last destination. The right people will automatically take you to the right destination.
2- Search for the visionary candidate: You must look for a visionary candidate or partner for your organization. People with the same vision help an organization more than someone whose thoughts lie on a different tangent.
3- Be straight and rigorous in the hiring process: Once you hire the wrong candidate, it will be a tough call to remove them and start hunting again for the vacant position. Talking straight, sharing the vision, and conducting multiple interviews can help organizations to find the suitable candidate.
4- Belief in the right candidate: It is not only the vision but trust that builds a strong foundation. Trusting and retaining the right candidate can benefit organizations.
5- The right people will give you the edge: One of the most important advantages of getting the right people on the bus is they help organizations at tough times. The right people are talented and motivated and assist during challenging times.
6- Management is the key: It is not always easy to manage your team. Mismanagements happen and that’s fine. But what is important that how you manage it till the end and sort all the things out.
Advantages of onboarding the right people
- A team with great vision and thought process naturally attracts talented employees.
- It will be easy if you are going to change the direction as people with the same vision know what’s best for the organization.
- You don’t need to call out the candidates for motivation as they are already motivated and energized.
- Low employee turnover, as this is one of the most significant costs for any company.
Let go of the wrong people on the bus
If getting the right people on the bus is important then getting the unsuitable people off the bus is important too. Everything has its pros and cons. If you’re only focusing on onboard the right people then when will you let go of the wrong people who do not match your vision?
Businesses always run with balance. And, a true leader knows how to handle them both. Even if your bus is on a proper route, you cannot succeed if you are not surrounded by the right personnel.
Consistency is the key
Focus on achieving much consistency and steadiness as you can. If you have a clear “why” and “how,” everything will be simple.
Make the compensation procedures, workflow, and other daily interactions explicit and visible. Eliminate the element of guesswork. Make others successful.
Establish exemplars and best practices so that others know what they should aim for. Once more, people can succeed more easily if they understand what success looks like.
Replace short-term, individual performance metrics with longer-term, team-based objectives. This fosters a sense of solidarity and support as if we are all in this together.
As we move to conclude this blog, we see that it’s not always about making the right decisions and running behind success but it is more about making a constant effort, trusting the process, balancing the team, and most importantly, offering a seat to deserving passengers.