Frank stared intently at me, wanting to see if after three years as a college football coach, assistant to him, I had discovered the secret. Having won two national championships as a head coach, it was clear that Frank had.

“No,” I replied, “I don’t know what the most important thing is to be a successful coach.” It felt like one of those landmark moments and I was ready to receive the pearl.

“Mike,” he said, his eyes narrowing as he leaned forward. “Get the studs. Get the people who can help you win. For all the time you spend coaching and coercing, your life is a thousand times easier if you get the people who can get the job done.”

Exactly as true in business as it is in sports. Get the right people, get the studs. You will save yourself inestimable time, effort and grief by getting the people who are capable and driven to get the job done.

And ‚Äústud‚Äù doesn‚Äôt necessarily mean the best individual performer. You define what stud means in terms of performance, collaboration, behavior and cultural fit.  But once you do, go after the studs with a vengeance. Don‚Äôt just recruit. Compete for talent.

You can be the best coach in the world but without strong people you can’t win.

Get the studs.

Your thoughts?

Michael

Effective Leadership. Without it, an organization simply can’t achieve and sustain success. With it, anything is possible. So what is the essence of effective leadership? Is there a simple answer?

Jack Welch – some guy who used to run GE – says there is. Effective leadership was a cornerstone of Welch’s management philosophy and under his watch leadership development became a key to GE’s success. What leadership qualities did Welch look for? Four “E’s”. Do you have energy? Do you energize others? Do you have the edge to make tough decisions? Can you execute? That’s it.  Four “E’s”. 

See if it works for you. Rate each member of your leadership team as a leader. Then rate them on the four “E’s.” Now have each of them rate themselves as a leader and on each “E”.

Do the ratings of the four “E’s” correlate with perceived leadership effectiveness? Do your ratings largely align with their self-ratings? If so, the four “E’s” may be a useful tool to assess leadership, spotlight developmental opportunities, and identify outright limitations.

If simple works, then keep it simple. Do you have the energy and edge to energize and execute?

Your thoughts?

Michael

When addressing a class of Stanford grads in 2005, the late Steve Jobs said, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”

When researcher Jerry Porras and his colleagues interviewed 200 people around the world who “made a difference” in their fields, what do you think was their common trait? What they do matters deeply to each of them.

Get people whose inherent sense of purpose aligns with the role you’re hiring them for. Or who can discover a sense of purpose in that role. Having a clear and compelling “why” provides the motive force behind the “what” and the “how”.

People who love what they do take initiative, reflect on their work, and continually look for a better way. They are deeply engaged.

That’s the purpose of purpose.

Your thoughts?

Michael

I’ve consulted with hundreds of CEOs and executives. And I’ve learned to be selective on the front end to maximize the opportunity for success on the back end. So what do I look for in a CEO? The 3 C’s.

Committed

If there’s no will there’s no way. If you’re a CEO, I’m looking for evidence of commitment not just in words but in action. Have you made personal sacrifices in order to win? Have you changed your behavior in some significant way? Have you taken decisive action that was unpopular or uncomfortable?

Capable

As a CEO, you need to possess at least sufficient capabilities in all areas critical to your job. That generally means some combination of traits and skills ranging from the analytical and technical to the creative to the interpersonal and intrapersonal.

Controlled Ego

The acid test. Are you in control of your ego or is your ego in control of you? If you’re unable to acknowledge your limitations, unwilling to accept responsibility for outcomes, or reluctant to share credit for successes then, ultimately, you can’t win.

That’s what I look for in a CEO. And that’s what you should look for in any executive.

Your thoughts?

Michael

You’re a growing small-to-mid sized business. You need to upgrade your management team. So you take the plunge and bring in a seasoned manager from a respected large company. Smart move, right?

Could be a big mistake. Here’s why:

1) Ivory Tower Management

Often, execs from big companies don’t do. They have teams of people who do. They direct. You can’t afford the luxury of a high-priced person who doesn’t do. When interviewing candidates from large companies be sure to ask what they personally accomplished and how, not just what their departments accomplished.

2) No Urgency

Bureaucracy seeps into the marrow of large companies. People come to expect that change is slow and painful. That attitude can kill a smaller company. Ask big-company candidates about their experience in overcoming the obstacles that slow change.

3) Runaway Resources

Larger companies have more resources, whether it’s people, materials, equipment or money. More than one small-to-mid sized company has suffered because their former-big-company manager pushed for infrastructure that simply wasn’t supportable in the smaller company. Make sure to identify what resources your big-company candidates required to achieve results.

Yes, a growing business needs to grow its management capabilities. But don’t be easily impressed with big-company experience. For a small-to-mid sized company, how things get done is often as important as what.

Your thoughts?

Michael