Character key in finding, being 'one good person'

To sum up the Top 10 phrases I’ve heard by managers, Dave’s phrase would likely be on the list between, “I don’t disagree with you,” and, “I’ll have to get back to you on that.”

Jim Collins, author of the book “Good to Great,” found in his historic study that companies that outperform their market over the long term have undergone a process of “getting the right people on the bus.”

This makes a lot of sense. It is impossible to establish a credible and consistent company vision with “bobble head” executives who have spent a career stroking the egos of their superiors while stepping on the heads of those co-workers they have left behind. They have no credibility, and they haven’t exactly been practicing original thinking.

This principle applies to all employees in a business. A salesperson who can’t look a customer in the eye just won’t cut it. They are either the wrong person to have on the bus, or at the very least, they are in a completely wrong seat. Of course, most managers don’t want to be the bad guy, and they work with this person or assign them to positions where they will create the least amount of damage.

This causes more harm than most people know. These employees suck the motivation out of co-workers who must pick up the slack. Furthermore, the employee probably senses the problem and will learn to hate the job. These issues will fester if not handled, and no one will win.

Collins asked executives from the “great” companies about the characteristics of a good employee. One single quality jumped out again and again: character. If employees have excellent character, then they probably belong on the bus, even if they need to move seats from time to time to find the right position. Unfortunately, character is probably one of the most overlooked and hardest characteristics to judge during the hiring process.

I began to press Dave. “Are you telling me that you hired nine bad people to work for you?” I think Dave was too tired to be angry. Instead he was intrigued. “It seems that if you tried to hire nine bad people, you would accidentally hire one good one.” Dave thought about that one.

Variation is present in all things, especially people. Fortune 500 companies have risen under the leadership of some of the least-trained and unlikely brilliant leaders who rose from the basement of the company structure. Likewise, these companies have fallen under the leadership of the brightest and best-educated leaders that the best business schools could offer. If you pick nine people at random, you will likely find someone who is not just good – but very good – at their job.

I had come this far, so I said, “Either you hired nine bad people, or you have one bad manager.”

In an instant, Dave knew that I was on to something. For the next hour, we discussed his business and how he operated it. We learned that he had some truly bad employees and therefore, he didn’t allow himself to trust anyone. Instead of spending his time developing and empowering his people, he spent his time watching them and waiting for them to screw up. His people were unsure of what they were supposed to do and were too afraid to ask.

Dave had a long road ahead of him, as he had likely caused a lot of damage in his small company, but he knew where to start to fix things. If you find the words, “If I could find just one good person” escaping your lips, the answer is probably that you are the one good person that the organization really needs. As a manager, you should hire the right people, provide them with a clear direction and empower them to be successful. Don’t be afraid to act when a person is in the wrong seat – or on the wrong bus altogether.

Don Harkey owns Galt Consulting LLC in Springfield, working with clients to reduce costs, improve quality and establish clear visions. He may be reached at donharkey@galtconsulting.biz.[[In-content Ad]]