Are You a Plow Horse or a Race Horse? Jim Collins – Dallas Growth Summit Cont.MONDAY, OCTOBER 26TH, 2009
Level Five leaders have had a charisma bypass! That’s how Jim Collins started describing the level five leaders. It’s not about personality, it’s about channeling everything into something other than themselves, and that is the business. They have an intense passion, an almost unhealthy work ambition for the cause, company, intention of the business. They will do whatever it takes to succeed, except violate the Company Core Values.
What do they look for in their executive team? The same shared values. It creates a ripple effect in the business when everyone is not concerned about their personal goals and rewards. They focus on the business success and don’t care who gets the credit. Interview after interview Collins found that everyone in the Good to Great companies always referred to someone else who was responsible for the company’s success, and shouldn’t they be talking to this person instead.
Someone asked a question when Collins was finished that pointed out the necessity for accountability and yet addressed how great companies avoid the blame game. He asked how you do not personalize blame when you have a culture of personal responsibility. He compared it to rock climbing which he’s been doing. If you get a knot wrong you can’t blame or make excuses. If you set the anchor wrong you can’t blame or make an excuse. Why, because you die!
The issue he said isn’t blame. It’s something we teach our clients to respect and be aware of. 90% or more of the problems are systemic. The system is the frustration. Examine the system, find out where the opportunity or frustration is and correct it. Make sure it won’t happen again. It’s another character issue that you need to address when interviewing, and one that successful executive teams always exhibit. They take ownership. It’s what Carol Quinn called the Locus of Control. People who look at the events of their lives and how they turned out and accept complete responsibility have a good locus of control. Those who always blame others, don’t. The former you can build your company on and eventually can become your level five leaders.
Can you allow for disagreement in your business, and if so when you have different views on solutions, what’s the most important thing you must do in order to move forward. That’s my next blog.
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