jimmifli
04-07-2007, 04:59 PM
"Good to Great" is a very popular business book that lays out the criteria for an organization to go from a good one to a great one. For more on the book:
http://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Companies-Leap-Others/dp/0066620996
Five years ago, Jim Collins asked the question, "Can a good company become a great company and if so, how?" In Good to Great Collins, the author of Built to Last (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0887307396/$%7B0%7D), concludes that it is possible, but finds there are no silver bullets. Collins and his team of researchers began their quest by sorting through a list of 1,435 companies, looking for those that made substantial improvements in their performance over time. They finally settled on 11--including Fannie Mae, Gillette, Walgreens, and Wells Fargo--and discovered common traits that challenged many of the conventional notions of corporate success. Making the transition from good to great doesn't require a high-profile CEO, the latest technology, innovative change management, or even a fine-tuned business strategy. At the heart of those rare and truly great companies was a corporate culture that rigorously found and promoted disciplined people to think and act in a disciplined manner.
One of the key concepts from the book was:
First Who, then What.
First Who - Get the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off the bus).
Then What - Once you have the right people on the bus, figure out where to drive it.
So how does this fit the Bills? Well, we've got a lot of new people, and lost a bunch too, but my gut feel is that we are still adding the who to fit the what. In other words, we have a system and are picking our people to fill it. Instead, we should be getting great players and then figuring out a system that fits them.
Two questions for discussion:
Do you think the concept is valid?
Do you think the Bills are following it?
http://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Companies-Leap-Others/dp/0066620996
Five years ago, Jim Collins asked the question, "Can a good company become a great company and if so, how?" In Good to Great Collins, the author of Built to Last (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0887307396/$%7B0%7D), concludes that it is possible, but finds there are no silver bullets. Collins and his team of researchers began their quest by sorting through a list of 1,435 companies, looking for those that made substantial improvements in their performance over time. They finally settled on 11--including Fannie Mae, Gillette, Walgreens, and Wells Fargo--and discovered common traits that challenged many of the conventional notions of corporate success. Making the transition from good to great doesn't require a high-profile CEO, the latest technology, innovative change management, or even a fine-tuned business strategy. At the heart of those rare and truly great companies was a corporate culture that rigorously found and promoted disciplined people to think and act in a disciplined manner.
One of the key concepts from the book was:
First Who, then What.
First Who - Get the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off the bus).
Then What - Once you have the right people on the bus, figure out where to drive it.
So how does this fit the Bills? Well, we've got a lot of new people, and lost a bunch too, but my gut feel is that we are still adding the who to fit the what. In other words, we have a system and are picking our people to fill it. Instead, we should be getting great players and then figuring out a system that fits them.
Two questions for discussion:
Do you think the concept is valid?
Do you think the Bills are following it?