People are the heart, soul, engine of any organisation. A great business can flounder with the wrong people and a simple business can outstrip competitors with the right team.  What does your team look like? Is every person a gem? Is every person raising the level of the business? Unfortunately, for so many of us, the answer to most of these questions, is a resounding NO. But why settle for that?

Jim Collins and his book “Good to Great” coined the fabulous “bus” analogy- the primary message hinging on the best recruiting strategies. Here’s a little  Good Great Jim Collins summary:

1. Don’t worry so much about where the bus is GOING until you have filled all the seats on your bus with…..
2. the RIGHT PEOPLE. Get the right people on the bus. That’s the most critical factor and one that we here at businessmanagementtips.com talk a lot about. Be creative with your recruiting strategy, be fearless, be brutal, trust your instincts. I had a boss once who used to live by “Hire in haste, repent at leisure” and never was a truer word spoken.

(check out our article: “Awesome Interview Techniques”)

1. The next step is getting the right people in the RIGHT SEATS. You might already have the right people on the bus, but are they all doing the wrong jobs? What if you switched Sam in Marketing with Joe in Merchandising? Don’t be afraid. Don’t let “experience” in a narrow field deter you. If Sam and Joe are the right people, they will pick up each other’s jobs quickly, add new perspective, increase efficiencies and can always consult back to each other. Shake things up. Don’t let current roles blind you from opportunities.
2. Now lets talk about getting the WRONG PEOPLE off the bus.Well, they need to get off. The wrong people will know in their heart they are on the wrong bus. You’ll often find that as these wrong people see you hiring amazing new people they will already realise they will need to shape up or be shown up. And when you start restructuring (changing seats) the wrong people will very likely complain and think its ridiculous and eventually, get off the bus. Great.
3. Now, your bus is perfect. NOW you STEER THE BUS in the right direction and you know what? With the right people, you can hit any speedbump or detour and you will be able to embrace that change.

I suggest you start by considering your major goals. Map out an organogram that would propel you forward. Don’t you dare even bring into consideration the current layout of the team or who the people are in those roles, not even yourself…and certainly not your current boss (if you are in an organization). And don’t let budgets constrain you either. That’s right. How would it look like if you were starting from scratch and had no limitations. Keep in mind “Jim Collins good great BUS”. And have courage. I did this once and it can be awkward! But if you can be totally objective, and your proposal is right for the business, the right people, will get it 😉

Click here to read the follow up article on the power of restructuring and how to do it right.