The Right People in the Key Seats

The specifics can vary, even within companies, but our research delivered six important traits that identify "the right people"

The right people fit the company's core values
Great companies build cultures in which those who don't share the institution's values are surrounded by anti-bodies and ejected like viruses. People ask: "How do we get people to share our core values?" The answer: Hire people already predisposed to them—and keep them.

The right people don't need to be tightly managed
When you feel the need to tightly manage someone, you may have made a hiring mistake. You need not spend a lot of time "motivating" or "managing" the right people. It's in their DNA to be productively neurotic, self-motivated, self-disciplined, and compulsively driven to excel.

The right people understand that they do not have "jobs"—they have responsibilities
They grasp the difference between their task list and their true responsibilities. The right people can complete the statement, "I am the one person ultimately responsible for…".

The right people fulfill their commitments
In a culture of discipline, people view commitments as sacred—they do what they say they'll do, without complaint. Equally, this means that they take great care in saying what they will do, careful never to overcommit or to promise what they cannot deliver.

The right people are passionate about the company and its work
Nothing great happens without passion. The right people display remarkable intensity.

The right people display window-and-mirror maturity
When things go well, the right people point out the window, giving credit to factors other than themselves; they shine a light on others who contributed. Yet when things go awry, they do not blame circumstances or other people; they look in the mirror and say: "I'm responsible."

Data: Jim Collins from Business Week

The Dynamics of Leadership-Team Behavior

How managers interact says a lot about the state of a company:

Teams on the way down: People shield those in power from unpleasant facts, fearful of penalties and criticism for shining light on the rough realities

Teams on the way up: People bring forth grim facts—"Come here and look, man, this is ugly"—to be discussed; leaders never criticize those who bring forth harsh realities

Teams on the way down: People assert strong opinions without providing data, evidence, or a solid argument

Teams on the way up: People bring data, evidence, logic, and solid arguments to the discussion

Teams on the way down: The team leader has a very low questions-to-statements ratio, avoiding critical input and/or allowing sloppy reasoning and unsupported opinions

Teams on the way up: The team leader employs a Socratic style, using a high questions-to-statements ratio, challenging people, and pushing for penetrating insights

Teams on the way down: Team members acquiesce to a decision but don't unify to make the decision successful—or worse, undermine it after the fact

Teams on the way up: Team members unify behind a decision once made, then work to make the decision succeed, even if they vigorously disagreed with it

Teams on the way down: Team members seek as much credit as possible for themselves, yet do not enjoy the confidence and admiration of their peers

Teams on the way up: Each team member credits other people for success, yet enjoys the confidence and admiration of his or her peers

Teams on the way down: Team members argue to look smart or to further their own interests rather than argue to find the best answers to support the overall cause

Teams on the way up: Team members argue and debate, not to improve their personal position but to find the best answers to support the overall cause

Teams on the way down: The team conducts "autopsies with blame," seeking culprits rather than wisdom

Teams on the way up: The team conducts "autopsies without blame," mining wisdom from painful experiences

Teams on the way down: Team members often fail to deliver exceptional results and blame other people or outside factors for setbacks, mistakes, and failures

Teams on the way up: Each team member delivers exceptional results, yet in the event of a setback each accepts full responsibility and learns from mistakes

Data: Jim Collins from Business Week. See the entire article set here: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_21/b4132026793275.htm

How the Mighty Fall: A Primer on the Warning Signs

By Jim Collins from Business Week

The author of Good to Great on how to spot the subtle signs that your successful company is actually on course to sputter—and how to reverse the slide before it's too late.

In Autumn 2004, I received a phone call from Frances Hesselbein, founding president of the Leader to Leader Institute.

"The Conference Board and the Leader to Leader Institute would like you to come to West Point to lead a discussion with some great students," she said.

"And who are the students?" I asked, envisioning perhaps a group of cadets.

"Twelve U.S. Army generals, 12 CEOs, and 12 social sector leaders," explained Hesselbein.

"They'll be sitting in groups of six, two from each sector—military, business, social—and they'll really want to dialogue about the topic."

"And what's the topic?"

"Oh, it's a good one. I think you'll really like it." She paused. "America."

Read the Rest of the Article at: http://www.businessweek.com/print/magazine/content/09_21/b4132026786379.htm