“Great vision without great people is irrelevant.”
― Jim Collins

Why did you start the company? What was the initial vision and what were the pillars of its foundation? It is now years, you have grown and came far from where you started but something isn’t right yet, if you are still struggling to mark as a ‘Great Company’. Hello readers! I welcome you all to my blog space and like I do always, right what I study and experience. I write what I live and so here is one of such topics that I thought to express my observations and thoughts about. I am in job as well and that on the inside made me feel low, not because the company is not good, but since my teens I never wanted to be on job, I always dreamed to have my own little empire which did not come true yet, however I am proud of the path i am on, it is indeed making me closer to who I am. Sometime the reality and what you expect kills you and distracts you from who you could be. That is where my acceptance of my reality came into existence.

Well that is a little background of why am I writing this blog. It is important to have honest, loyal and committed people. And most of them are, however the company owners misunderstand the elements -honesty, loyalty and commitment.

Honesty:

What it means? -Honest person- person who is honest to who he/she is, honest to share and express how they feel, honest with oneself

What is expected?- Honest with bosses and company

Loyalty:

What it means? – Being loyal to yourself and your words, being loyal to your purpose and priority in life.

What is expected?- Loyal to bosses.

Committed:

What it means? – Committed to oneself, purpose and passion

What is expected?- committed to the contract and company- work hours and hours or on a Sunday or extra hours that shows commitment. Leaving Father’s birthday for work is commitment; leaving child’s ptm or school event and staying back at office is commitment.

I mean let us face it, even if it is not said but the way employees behave is in this insecurity. I mean all the eyes go up to the person you begin to pack up at 6pm which may be the official time and still a colleague would get up and say ‘leaving early today?’- and the one who was courageous enough to be effective in work and complete work in given time, will linger the desk just so that no one notices and wast hours that he or she could have spend with family.

Of course I am making it general however there could be organisations which are beyond these expectations – I call them great company- referring to my most favourite book ‘Good to Great by Jim Collins’

Now then, what happens if the company is falling in the second line of case ‘what is expected?’. This company will have loyal and honest people to their bosses but competency ?? hmm To be a great company meaning a company that reaches a place where they no more struggle to sustain. When in a company employees learn that the mistakes I make and accepting the mistakes in front of bosses will cover the fact that I am not good at my job. When employees are giving lot of chances to make mistakes – or say, repeat mistakes – They know they will get over it and be at the place. When the promotions or profiles are not giving as per the person’s knowledge of content and competency, it shows others to not care for quality of work and just hand on with it.

“The purpose of bureaucracy is to compensate for incompetence and lack of discipline.”
― Jim Collins

Sometimes to show how generous and-kind you are with employees to disrespect the employees who are passionate and commitment of quality they deliver.

Here are some signs the bosses make that damages competent employees and you soon will lose them:Questioning them for other’s mistakes Giving them work because the other’s could not do, while they are sitting and following up with you for the work they are suppose to doTime and again ignoring the warning bell they ring for companyGiving incompetent people chance just to be kind to themSpending hours on average performing people by long meetings and personal trainings to make them learn what they must have known years beforeTrying to keep high performers with low performers assuming the low performers will het inspired to perform high. Well why would someone make any effort if they are anyway getting chances to stick on (this is not a school :))Not claiming the expert as leader- but suppressing them so that you still hold the space.Taking credit of the creators silently in meetings by stating hierarchy or authority. Being a mouthpiece instead of giving microphone to employees who deserve.

I can go on and on, as these come from my personal experience. I tool time to write this one to ensure I don’t come from my own understanding but really take experience of others who must be sailing in the same boat.

“Letting the wrong people hang around is unfair to all the right people, as they inevitably find themselves compensating for the inadequacies of the wrong people. Worse, it can drive away the best people. Strong performers are intrinsically motivated by performance, and when they see their efforts impeded by carrying extra weight, they eventually become frustrated.”
― Jim Collins,

Actions that could balance the spaceBe careful of what you represent and communicate to employeesIf the same mistake repeats add consequence or let go may be that is good for both company and the employeeSet standard so that employees know the criteria of being a high performerSet defined goals and outcomeBe authentic rather than being in good books of allYou are anyway losing one, so make the right choice.Know you pattern, and break it!“By definition, it is not possible to everyone to be above the average.”
― Jim Collins

I recommend this book ‘Good to Great’ as it sets the tone clear with how can a company become great from good. And one of the powerful analogy in the book is of getting off the bus!

“The moment you feel the need to tightly manage someone, you’ve made a hiring mistake.”
― James C. Collins, since 2017