“The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” – Theodore Roosevelt
I was fortunate enough recently to have the opportunity to assist the leaders of a 120+ year-old business that was thinking about its future. Things had not been going extremely well, and they were working on plan to turn things around. There were ideas about products and markets and technology and a bunch of other things.
At one point during the discussion, I asked about one of the things that hadn’t yet come up – people. It didn’t take long for me to realize that the leaders felt that their people were not even close to adequate for the task at hand. The experienced ones were coasting to retirement, and the inexperienced ones weren’t capable. Within a few minutes the energy entirely left the room and everyone felt dejected and hopeless.
How many meetings like that happen around the world on a regular basis? Leaders get excited talking about what product or service they can offer, or what new markets they can break into, or how they’re going to use technology to revolutionize their industry. Then they start talking about who’s going to actually do all that stuff and the whole conversation falls apart.
There is no way our organizations can succeed without the right people in the right roles doing the right things. Trying to grow or reimagine the business or even make meaningful change becomes incredibly frustrating. We think we’re on the verge of something great, but we always fall short.
Be honest with yourself. When you think about the future of your organization, how do your people fit? Do you have people in place who can do what needs to be done? Will they be able to make the most of your brilliant ideas and execute your superior plans?
If the answer is “no”, that doesn’t necessarily mean you need all new people. Maybe it’s a matter of developing the people you have. Maybe there are capabilities and behaviors that can be learned. Maybe there are hidden talents that can be unleashed.
Unfortunately, if maximizing what you have won’t get you there, you have to be honest about what that means. It’s possible that people who’ve been a great fit for what the business was won’t be a great fit for what the business will become. Ignoring those conversations because they’re difficult won’t solve the problem. You need to be honest about what your team needs.
The point of this is that no matter what else you do, if the people part isn’t right, everything else will be a struggle. You can create all kinds of wonderful visions and strategies and plans, but they’ll all be disappointing. The good news is that when that part is right, you can achieve almost anything. Be honest about the people in your business, and open the doors to possibility.
