Leadership Lessons #1 | by George Virtue, CPA, CA
Get the Right People on the Team
Over the years, I have worked with various businesses, sports teams and community Boards. Some were
incredibly effective while others just did not seem to be able to achieve much of anything at all. I have
been a member of a partnership that was dysfunctional and I have been, and still am, a member of a
partnership that works together as a highly productive team. I have helped curling teams develop their
strategic plan and I have seen some succeed and others fall flat. And I have been privileged to lead
Boards that made a significant impact in our community.
So what have I learned from these experiences? What is that secret ingredient that makes a great
team? Simply put, if you want to have a great team, you need to start with the right people.
Two of my favorite leadership books have
influenced my thinking in this area. Jim Collins
in Good to Great suggests that you need to get
the “right people on the bus” before you
decide where the bus is going. Equally
important, and perhaps more challenging, is to
get the wrong people “off the bus”. David
Maister in True Professionalism talks about the
power of Dynamos and the negative impact on
personal and team performance when team
members start to become Cruisers.
The right people are passionate and committed; they are people that want to excel and are willing to do
what it takes to succeed; they are accountable and are willing to hold others accountable; they are
Dynamos, not Cruisers or Losers.
Organizations often blame their lack of success on poor strategy, tough competition or bad luck. Yet, in
my experience a poorly constructed team is often at the core of this underperformance. I am always
amazed how many “losers” are retained on teams because it would be uncomfortable to address the
conflict of trying to change.
So this lesson is really pretty simple. If you have the luxury of starting from scratch, invest an excessive
amount of time in recruiting the best team that you can before you start. Choose team members that
share your vision and your passion, choose team members that you can count on to put the team first.
Do not settle for “good enough”. Build an exceptional team and success will follow.
If you are leading a team that is struggling to achieve results, don’t blame the economy - think about
whether you have the right people on the team and whether you have some “wrong” people on the
team. And then do something about it! Invest in training and development, coach for success, inspire
your team … and be prepared to make tough decisions to get the wrong people “off the bus”.
George Virtue, CPA, CA is the Managing Partner at Avail CPA.
Find more leadership articles and resources at www.availcpa.com.