good company become a great company and, if so, how?”[1] Collins believes “that almost any organization can substantially improve its stature and performance, perhaps even become great, if it conscientiously applies the framework of ideas we’ve uncovered.”[2] Collins believes that he has uncovered a universal principal of how to move from good-to-great. Thus the concept can be applied in any type of organization, including churches.
The type of leadership that is required to lead a company from good to great is what Collins and his team termed “Level 5 Leadership.” The book discusses six key concepts that were found in companies that moved from being good-to-great and were led by Level 5 Leaders.
1. First Who … Then What. Instead of starting with vision and strategy the Level 5 Leader “first got the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats – and then they figured out where to drive it.”[3]
2. Confront the Brutal Facts (Yet Never Lose Faith). Level 5 Leaders embrace the Stockdale Paradox – “You must maintain unwavering faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties, and at the same time have the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”[4]
3. The Hedgehog Concept (Simplicity within the Three Circles). Level 5 Leaders need to be able to identify what they can be best at in the world. This sometimes means dropping a company’s core business. “A Hedgehog Concept is a simple, crystalline concept that flows from deep understanding about the intersection of the following three circles: 1. What you can be the best in the world at (and equally important, what you cannot be the best in the world at). 2. What drives your economic engine. 3. What you are deeply passionate about.”[5]
4. A Culture of Discipline.
5. Technology Accelerators. Rather than using technology as the primary means for igniting a transformation, they carefully select technologies suited for their purpose.
6. The Flywheel and the Doom Loop. “The good-to-great transformation never happened in one fell swoop. There was no single defining action, no grand program, no one killer innovation, no solitary lucky break, no miracle moment. Rather, the process resembled relentlessly pushing a giant heavy flywheel in one direction, turn upon turn, building momentum until a point of breakthrough, and beyond.” [6]
I find the first key concept (First Who … Then What) that was found in companies that moved from good-to-great fascinating. In most of my experiences of church we focus on the “what” first before the “who.”
Collins writes regarding this key concept:
“The executives who ignited the transformations from good to great did not first figure out where to drive the bus and then get people to take it there. No, they first got the right people on the bust (and the wrong people off the bus) and then figured out where to drive it. They said, in essence, “Look, I don’t really know where we should take this bus. But I know this much: If we get the right people on the bus, the right people in the right seats, and the wrong people off the bus, then we’ll figure out how to take it someplace great.”[7]
It seems to me that it is harder to get someone to moves seats or off the bus in a church. It’s a very delicate matter. I wonder how one addresses this issue pastorally. How do you tell someone that the place that they are exercising leadership in or carrying out a ministry is not their gift? Speaking the truth in love is easier said than done. What are the consequences of not doing this? I have had to make some very difficult but necessary decisions. I would be really interested in some practical tips in this area.
Collins advises that, “whey you know you need to make a people change, act.”[8] To the question, But how do you know when you know? Collins provides two reflective questions that can help you gain clarity:
1. “If it were a hiring decision (rather than a “should this person get off the bus?” decision), would you hire the person again?
2. If the person came to tell you that he or she is leaving to pursue an exciting new opportunity, would you feel terribly disappointed or secretly relieved?”[9]
Even when clarity is gained, one still has to find the appropriated way of asking someone to change seats or to leave the bus.
No comments:
Post a Comment