Good News

BUSINESS 16 JULY 2018 Good News • South Florida Edition From his work Good to Great, Jim Collin’s bus metaphor has become renowned in business circles. Specifically referring to the people on the bus, he writes, “If we get the right people on the bus, the right people in the right seats, and the wrong people off the bus, then…” p.41. He refers relentlessly throughout his work to “best” people, “great” people, “A” players. So we take his advice and hire the best ac- countant, engineer, roofer, manager, assis- tant, teller, plumber, etc. based on their resumes, usually because of their demon- strated knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA’s). We follow all the rules: hire the best we can afford; validate their prior per- formances; even compare them to the re- quirements of a job description. We then expect great performances from these “best” people. Too often to our utter disbe- lief, this “best” person fails, and we are at a loss why. Great KSA’s often lead us to make what we believe to be great talent acquisitions. I had a client a few years ago whose business was growing rapidly and the financial side was getting out of hand particularly in Accounts Receivable (AR). He interviewed and hired an accountant with several decades of significant financial work to become the Finance Director with specific instructions to get the ARs up to date. Within two months, the com- pany almost folded because they weren’t collecting on accounts that now were in arrears to the cumulative tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. When confronted by the owner, the Finance Director told him, “I’m not com- fortable confronting other companies about their past due accounts.” Re- ally? How did he miss that! As I work with companies and their talent acquisition efforts, I have come to several conclusions: there are many applicants available who have the ability to accomplish almost any task required, and very few of them can perform well in any particular space. My clients are from many markets: general contractors, accounting services, non-profits, trades such as plumbers, social media consultants, etc. I have concluded that the type of business doesn’t matter. Collins shares stories from many types of busi- nesses. Collins goes on to say that “the best people don’t need to be managed, (they need to be) guided, taught, led – yes. But not tightly managed.” What I believe Collins is alluding to is that these “right” people are capable of self- managing, meaning they do the right things at the right time for the right reasons. All employees have three questions to answer on a daily basis about the work they are responsible to accomplish: of all the work I have to do today, what is more important to the overall success of this organization, what is less important to the overall success of this organization, and what is not important at all to the success of this organization? My question for years has been, Why do some employees do the right things at the right time when others, who are just as capable and maybe even in the same work group, don’t? My experiences have drawn me to the conclusion that significant KSA’s are not sufficient for great performances. KSA’s might be only as important as 40-50 percent of the “fit” for any particular employee in any particular or- ganization. I now believe that just as or more important than technical job requirements (relevant KSA’s) is the cultural fit (personality and values). In the 1970’s, along with the age of the MBA, organizations subjected them- selves to a process called “values clarification”. I believe it arrived on the corporate scene before its time because it became one of many manage- ment fads that came and went with regularity during those years leading up to the quality improvement movement two decades later. I believe the most important question for any business is not, What are we doing or how are we doing it? Rather, I believe the most important busi- ness question is, Why Are We Doing It? Why connotes values, passions, greater good thoughts. Every member of an organization has their own in- dividual set of core values (the very core I refer to as non-negotiable values) as does the leader. Our passions virtually emanate from these core values. Activities that reflect these values are the ones to which we are most com- mitted. The pertinent question then is, what is driving the why in this organ- ization? If the why is clear, others can determine if their why’s line up with the organization’s why. When this occurs, commitment to the “cause” be- comes the driving force behind an employee’s behavior, which is at a higher order than a commitment to the “task.” Fortune’s research on the “100 Best Companies to Work For” found that companies with a higher purpose and strong culture outperform peer companies financially over long term periods. My sense is that they more clearly identify the “why” they are in business. When Tim Mulligan became chief HR officer at the San Diego Zoo, he found the workforce tired, stressed, distracted and disconnected. Today the zoo is an award-winning environment that’s more profitable than ever. Tim is convinced that employees must feel they truly belong, have purpose in their work, and are committed to your vision and purpose. He says to hire people who know what you are about. The key, according to him, is “Vel- croing” (his term) employees to the organization’s “why” so they know what they do makes a difference. I believe when members of an organization connect their why’s to the organization’s why, those members tend to self-manage doing the right things, at the right time, for the right reasons. Now we know who the “right” person is to get on the bus. Finding the “right” seat is a topic for another day. Arthur Bailey is President of Trust House HR, a Strategic Human Re- source Consulting Service. Trust House HR partners with clients to develop strategic organizational and Human Resource initiatives that support the clients’ current business mission and future vision goals. He has served for more than 30 years in multiple corporate and non-profit leadership roles as a Board Chair and Member, Corporate President, and Senior Executive. He continues to serve since 1991 as a University Adjunct Professor of Busi- ness and Human Resource Studies. When KSA’s Aren’t Enough To Get On The Bus - Art Bailey SPHR, MSHRM - Trust House HR