In his book “Good to Great” Jim Collins stresses the importance of getting the right people on the bus and sitting in the right seats of the bus whenever you are building an organization or a team of any type. Â He coined the phrase “first who, then what.” Â In other words before you decide where your bus is going it is imperative to have the right people (talent) on the bus.
Years ago I asked my old high school basketball coach Bob Huelsman (who I still think was one of the best coaches–any sport–our state has ever seen) what the secret to his success was and he basically shared with me his coaching success was dependent upon how talented the athletes were that he was coaching.
Although I agreed with Bob’s thoughts I also reflected upon how he also did a great job with teams that weren’t that talented. Â And as a player for him I can tell you the one thing he was excellent at and that was having a game plan with an end result in mind. Â The game plan included a thorough scouting report of the team we were about to face as well as defined direction for each of us. Â We knew what our roles were, we knew what was expected of us and we all knew the result we were going after.
Many organizations, teams, businesses and individuals confuse activity and being “busy” with results. Â It is the leader’s responsibility to give direction and instruction to the team so everyone knows not only what they are supposed to do, but why they are doing it.
This is why it is so important to have a plan with an end result in mind. Â When you have a plan with an end result then your activities will have meaning to them and any activity and energy spent on things that have nothing to do with the result you are after should be eliminated.
On an individual note; if you are not happy with the direction your life is headed you may want to do an inventory of the activities of your day and see how much activity is pointed in the direction of the results you are trying to obtain.
P.S. Â “If you don’t know where you’re going any road will get you there.”
P.E.A.C.E.
jay@eaglelaunch.com
