Do You Have the Right People in the Right Places?

My business owner friends often joke with me about how much more successful they could be if they did not have to deal with people issues.  What they are really talking about is not having the right people.

Much has been written about having the right people on your team.  In his book “Good to Great”, Jim Collins uses the analogy of having the right people in the right seats on the bus.  His research emphasized that the people on the team were more important that what the team accomplished.

I have worked with many clients who point to their team when talking about their success.  I’ve worked with others who blamed people issues for their problems.

Dealing with employees is one of the most difficult challenges for any business owner.  Many leaders are not good at developing people.  If they have a people problem, they work around it instead of fixing it which   limits the effectiveness of the team.  It also hurts the culture of the organization as other team members see the problems and wonder why ownership does not address the issue.

So how do you avoid a dysfunctional team? A good place to start is to look closely at the leadership roles you have defined in your business.  First, ask yourself if these are the right roles needed to take the organization forward to meet its goals.  You may find you need to make changes in how the leadership team is structured.  Once you’ve answered that question, each role should have four or five key expectations against which the performance of the owner of that role can be measured.  Finally, think about whether the current leader’s ability and desire is aligned with the role and the expectations.  Can they do the job today and into the future?  If so, you have the right person in the right seat.  If not, you must determine if this person can get there in the near team, if you need to find a replacement, or whether this person fits better in another seat.

Getting the right people on the team can be challenging, but it is key to any business’ long term success.