Post #3 in a multi-part series from the excellent book Traction by Gino Wickman

The People Component:

Have great people around you.  Getting the right people in the right seats.   The Right People are the people who live your company culture, do good work, and you enjoy being around.

The Right Seat= Everyone is working within their best skill and passion within the organization.   Their unique ability.   The core focus that gets them to achieve to amazing new heights.  Their Unique ability + accountability chart = Right Seat

The People Analyzer Chart will help you figure out if the right people are in the right seats.  Recommended bar for a company with 5 core values is 3 plus.  2 plus-minus, and no Minus.  Give people a chance to improve

  • Strike 1:  Discuss and give 30 days
  • Strike 2: Discuss and give 30 days
  • Strike 3: Gotta go

If you are clear about the core values – and that they are important – people who don’t fit, realize it, and leave on their own.

Make an Accountability Chart

People-wise, what is the best way to move the company forward in the next 12 months.   Must look forward only.  No looking backward or at today.    Detach yourself from the business, your role, and your ego.

There are 3 major functions in any business:

Sales/Marketing

Operations

Finance/Admin.

And all must be strong.  Only 1 person can be in charge of each function.  When more than 1 person is in charge, nobody is in charge.

Successful companies have an “Integrator” that ties them all together well.   Managing day-to-day issues.   Generally more fact-based and enjoy managing.  Run day-to-day business and handle accountability.  The Manager.   LMA= Lead, Manage, Accountability.

Very successful companies have a “Visionary.”   Couldn’t be more different than the Integrator.   Visionary has 10 new ideas a week, and 1 of them is good and makes growth.   More off emotion than fact.    The Entrepreneur.   Only about 50% of organizations really have one.

Map out all of the functions of your organization on the accountability chart.  List who does each function and who they report to.  Then the 5 major roles of that function.  Define by LMA= lead, manage, accountability.

Start with the functions and roles before entering the name.  Determine if you have a visionary, and define it clearly.  Communication should flow across.   No Silos

GWC:  Get it.  Want it.  Capacity to do it.  If people don’t ‘step up’ to the job it’s because 1 of these is missing.

  • Get It:  Truly understand the role and culture, systems and pace.
  • Want It:  Genuinely like the job and want to do it, based on fair compensation.   Provides the spark.
  • Capacity to Do It:  Time as well as mental, physical, and emotional capacity to do it.

No on any one of these is a person in a wrong seat.   Must be YES on all 3.    You can have 1 name on 2 seats, but now 2 names on 1 seat.

If you have the right people in the right seats, delegation is easier.

If you are taking on the problems of a seat, the wrong person might be in it.

People must add value – getting someone out could help them get into the right place elsewhere.