by Rand Manasse
“The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual.”
Vince Lombardi
The NFL season is underway.
When a new season begins, every team in the league feels they have a chance to win the Super Bowl. The coaches and players have been working throughout the offseason to ensure they are prepared to win when the regular season arrives.
Yet each year, it seems that the same few teams perform well while a few other teams fail to perform even when they appear to have talent-laden rosters.
When we think of perennially successful teams, we think of the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, and a few others.
Why do select teams always seem to succeed despite roster turnover and changing fortunes in the fast-paced professional football game?
The reason is that these teams have management that looks for the right players and personnel to join the team. Everyone on each of the successful teams is focused on the team’s success as the first priority.
Successful Businesses Focus on the Right People
In his book Good To Great, Jim Collins described how great companies formed their teams. He used the bus analogy to explain how each business had to get its bus moving.
Each of the successful companies focuses on a three-part process when considering a change in their business or when getting their bus moving.
First, successful companies need to analyze themselves. The goal of the analysis is to determine whether the right people are on the bus. The company is about to undergo a change and move from good to great, and the right people need to be on the bus for this change to occur.
If your organization needs change, there is something you can do. Look at the people on the bus. Determine if they are prepared for the difficult road ahead. Find the people who want to be part of a winning team no matter where the bus is heading.
In the ever-changing business world, you need good people. You do not want people focused solely on the destination because destinations change. These people will need to leave the bus.
Second, you need to analyze whether the right people are in the right seats. This adjustment allows your team to react optimally to changes in the market that will determine how your business evolves.
Change is a difficult time for any company, but it’s also an exciting time.
By making adjustments, you are preparing yourself for future greatness. You’re making sure the right people are on the bus, the wrong people are off the bus, and the right people are in the right seats.
Third, you need to fill the empty seats on the bus. You now have a clear picture of what roles must be filled and what type of team players should fill those roles.
At this point in the process, things start happening and those that remain at the company can see that the company is setting itself up for success.
Finally, the next step in the process is to begin moving forward. Now is when the work starts.
When analyzing your company, you will meet with your staff and look for indications of how each person will handle the upcoming work. The destination is unknown at this point, which is difficult for many people. That’s why you changed to have the right people on the bus and in the right seats.
Now, the bus is full of a team focused on succeeding. They don’t need to be motivated because they are already focused on doing whatever it takes for the company’s good.
Successful For the Long-Term
Vince Lombardi’s football team, the Green Bay Packers, was the most successful team in the NFL’s history. From the late 1950s through the 1960s, they won numerous championships, including the first two Super Bowls.
Every year, it seemed the Packers were the class of the NFL. Players would come, and players would go. The key to success over the long term was that Vince Lombardi knew how to get the right people on his bus and the right people off the bus. He also learned how to put people in the right seats.
The Packers’ players were focused on team success. They knew that if the team succeeded, each of the players would be a success as well.
Your company can be built to operate in the same fashion.
The time to begin the process is now. It won’t be easy. You’ll need to analyze and evaluate your organization and make adjustments. From there, the hard work begins as you move forward.
It’s an exciting time for your company. Change is coming, and you can be the leader.
As always, please comment and let me know what you think. If you need help building value into your business, please get in touch with me at 914.741.5200 or rmanasse@referencesystems.com.
To your success!
Rand
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