How To Get Your Starting Lineup In Place By January 1, 2017

September 7, 2016

In his book Good to Great, Jim Collins spends an entire chapter digging into the importance of people in the workplace. As he states: "First, if you begin with 'who', rather than 'what', you can more easily adapt to a changing world … Second, if you have the right people on the bus, the problem of how to motivate and manage people largely goes away … Third, if you have the wrong people on the bus it doesn't matter whether you discover the right direction; you still won't have a great company."

If there are tough decisions to be made and key leaders to be transitioned out—the process must begin in Q3. This positions the company for a fresh start, with a new senior leader or middle manager on-boarded by January 1st (or at the latest, by the end of Q1).

Often, the CEO or a senior leader will hesitate, second guess themselves or avoid the decision to exit someone sitting in a key role. But, in order to scale your business to the next level, you have to answer “Yes” to this question: “Would you enthusiastically rehire everyone on your team and their direct reports?” This is where having an executive coach helps. As coaches, we make our living most effectively when we come alongside our clients and help guide them through challenging decisions—the toughest of which revolve around having the right leaders on the bus.

This is why the immediate team surrounding the CEO and their direct reports need to evaluate on a quarterly basis whether they still have the right people in the right places. In these discussions, you need to ask “the 4 R’s” with the objective to ensure you have the right talent on the bus (team) for 2017.

  • Right People?
  • Right Positions?
  • Right Priorities?
  • Rightly Aligned – according the company values and culture?

Are you ready to start identifying the right positions and tackle “People,” using proven tools? Reach out for a complimentary consultation today.