3. 3 - First Who, Then What
Level 5 + Management Team
Level 5 Leader, FIRST build a superior exec team on the bus, THEN figure out what path to map to drive the bus.
                 vs.
A "Genuis With a Thousand Helpers"
Level 4 Leader, see a vision for WHERE to drive the bus, develop a road map, THEN enlist a crew of highly capable "helpers" to get there.
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  • First who, Then what -- The key point is that "who" questions come before "what" decisions --  before vision, before strategy, before organization structure, before tactics.  First who, then what -- as a rigourous discipline, consistently applied.
  • Genuis + 1000 Helpers Fails -- The comparison companies have a leader who sets a vision and then enlists a crew (artisans) to make the vision happen.  This fails when the leader departs.
  • Rigourous, Not Ruthless -- With people decisions, they Good to Great Leaders did not rely on layoffs and restructuring as a primary strategy for improving performance.
    • When in doubt, don't hire--keep looking. (Corollary: A company should limit its growth based on its ability to attract enough of the right people.)
    • When you know you need to make a people change, act. (Corollary: First be sure you don't simply have someone in the wrong seat.)
    • Put your best people on your biggest opportunities, not your biggest problems. (Corollary: If you sell off your problems, don't sell off your best people.)
  • Argue & Support Decision - Good to great management teams argue and debate - sometimes violently - in pursuit of the best answers, yet, on the other hand, who unify fully behind a decision, regardless of parochial interests!
  • Compensation -- The purpose of compensation is not to "motivate" the right behaviors from the wrong people, but to get and keep the right people in the first place.
  • The Right People --The old adage "people are your most important asset" is wrong.  People are not your most important asset, the RIGHT PEOPLE are.
  • Character Traits over Skill -- Whether someone is the "right person" has more to do with character traits and innate capabilities than with specific knowledge, background, or skills.
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