Many of us have heard, in order to build a great organization, hire the right people (this includes hiring the right leader and if you are the leader, educating yourself to be a good leader). This is only part of the story.
The right people without the right leadership will not evolve into a great organization.
The combination of excellent leadership and the right people in the right positions will create a great organization.
True leaders have a vision for their organization and encourage development of the individuals they lead. These leaders allow individuals to feel safe in their roles and in return, the organization is protected.
While these leaders may have excelled previously by focusing on specific skills and learned methods (both through education and through experience), some questions remain.
- As a leader, have you found yourself in a position with minimal training and resources? Thrown into the fire so to speak to ‘just figure it out’?
- Have you found your attention directed away to ‘big picture’ projects and unable to focus on the individuals you are responsible for?
Creating a great organization takes discipline, time and momentum. Jim Collins discusses in his book, Good to Great about discipline of people, thought and action. It is important to maintain discipline and remain focused.
Place the right people in the right positions on the team, including yourself.
How clear are you on the roles needed for your organization? Are you communicating those concisely to prospective team members?
Revisit your job descriptions and make sure they’re up to date. Then, hire for the position. Many leaders tend to hire people like them, because they like them. Think about that – chances are, you need someone with different strengths than you to fill the role. Avoid hiring another you to take on responsibilities that don’t match their skill set.
Where to start in developing a great organization.
Most organizations look within first to become great. How do you evaluate your current team to see if you have the right people in the right position? Identifying the right people for an organization can be difficult; begin by evaluating yourself and your team.
One highly effective way of evaluating individuals is with a DISC personality assessment. McLean International uses a proven system to perform a DISC T.E.A.M.S. and Values assessment that provides deeper insights, as well as advanced communication methods. A directed action plan can be created once there is a good understanding of the current team’s dynamics. Contact us for more information on the DISC personality assessment.
Avoid becoming sidetracked from what your organization does best.
Be aware of your competition while maintaining focus on how the organization can be better than it currently is. Be aware of your current quarterly results, yet maintain focus on your long-term growth. You see, organizations fail when they lose focus, and start to obsess over being better than the competition or over the numbers in the current quarter. Failure is a result of losing focus on who you are as an organization and where you are going in the future.
Developing a great organization starts with developing great leaders.
Invest in your leaders and yourself to learn the skill sets of true leadership. Surround yourself with great people by promoting from within, realigning the right people to the right position and hiring people who have a passion to be the best. Create an environment which fosters caring about each other and making the organization great.
Below is a quick list for developing a great organization:
1. Remain focused
2. Be patient
3. Be transparent
4. Be flexible
5. Acknowledge those who contribute
6. Create a team atmosphere
7. Encourage individuality
Be patient with the process, yourself and those around you. Building excellence takes time; be disciplined and focus on developing momentum which, in turn, will generate long-lasting results.
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