Few question the wisdom of Jim Collins’ prescription to “get the right people on the bus, the right people in the right seats, and the wrong people off the bus.” (Good to Great, Harper Business, 2001). The debate is about timing and emphasis in moving on the people.
Almost every experienced CEO that has addressed the CEO Connection’s CEO Boot Camps since 2005 has answered the question, “What do you wish you’d done differently?” with “I wish I’d moved faster on people.” As people onboard into new roles, they need to evaluate people on their teams and move on them with all due speed. It may be useful to think about people in five buckets those you should:
1) Keep on the bus in the same seats
2) Move to different seats on the bus
3) Move to a different bus
4) Get off any bus
5) Run over with the bus
Keep on the bus in the same seats- These are the “A” players with the right strengths, motivation and fit for the seats they’re in. Feed these people. Keep them motivated to continue doing the good things they’re doing.
Move to different seats on the bus- Often good people are in the wrong seats. Moving them to better positions can free them up to become the “A” players they should be.
Move to a different bus- This is the first of three ways to get people off the bus. Moving people to a different bus is appropriate when they can make a contribution – just not on the bus they’re on. Help them get to a good place for themselves and for the organization.
Get off any bus- This move is appropriate for people that cannot make a contribution to the industry they’re in. They need to find a different mode of transportation. (Think spacecraft with a one-way ticket to some place very far away.)
Run over with the bus- Obviously, this is the harshest prescription, reserved for people that not only cannot make a contribution in their seats, on the bus, on different busses, or on any bus, but do harm. These people need to be made to go away in a way that they won’t come back, ever.
If you’re the leader onboarding into a new job, figure out and move on your people with all due speed. If you’re helping someone onboard into a new job, help them figure this out and move with all due speed.
George Bradt, Managing Director of PrimeGenesis Executive Onboarding and Transition Acceleration, has a unique perspective on helping executives accelerate transitions based on his combined senior line management and consulting experience. Prior to founding PrimeGenesis, George served as Chief Executive of J.D. Power and Associates’ Power Information Network spin off, and in general management, marketing and sales at Coca-Cola in Europe and Asia, Procter & Gamble and Lever Brothers. AB Harvard; MBA Wharton. He is the author of The New Leader’s 100-Day Action Plan, Onboarding, and The Total Onboarding Program, all published by Wiley.
Photo "Bus on the Move" courtesy of craftern
