Over the past week, I have said this to at least eight of my current coaching clients, and quoted it countless times in the last year. “Get the right people on the right seat on the bus.” This concept, from the book Good to Great published in 2001, is as relevant today as it was then.
One CEO has a senior leader on his team who is sabotaging his leadership; a newly promoted EVP has a director who is territorial and radically underperforming; another CEO has a subpar executive running an entire division; and another EVP has a director who is divisive and untrustworthy. Yikes!
Worth the share
To bring this situation to life, I saw this case study by Nitin Norhia, who is on staff at Harvard, that addresses the complexity of “getting the right people in the right seats.”
Many senior leaders, especially those new to their roles, fear disrupting the company through changes in senior leadership. Others are concerned about succession or rationalize that the talent isn’t causing too much damage.
The world is moving incredibly fast. Urgency matters. In the case study, the challenge was that a new CEO with 10 direct reports was considering replacing 3 of them and was unsure what to do.
One expert suggested that she use the Slow, Slow, Fast Framework for this situation and recommended:
- First, go slow. Think through her decisions. What is motivating her? What is her why? Check for unconscious bias.
- Then, slowly and “methodically analyze the information about the talent of her team”. Should she restructure the organization and streamline her number of direct reports?
- Finally, once her plan is clear, more fast. At that point, speed matters. Develop a cohesive strategy and ensure clear communication with all stakeholders.
To learn more about this conundrum and what two experts recommended, read Case Study: Are the Right People in the Right Seats.
#wisewords
“Get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats…”
–James C. Collins
And Finally...
My first newsletter went out on April 1, 2020. It’s hard to believe that, as Covid was setting in, I launched this communication to share insights, stories, great articles, and, hopefully, some different ways to think about business and life. Thank you for reading!
I hope it has provided you with a real benefit.
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Have a great week,
Mary Jo