Just as good as my flu vaccination this week, was the recent pep talk from another Doctor. A little bit painful, but just what I needed.
Dr Jim Collins speaking at the WPO conference in LA emphasised that repeated and continuous improvement leads to greatness. It’s not luck.
Here are 5 prescriptions from the good Doctor:
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- Strive for outstanding leadership. Personality is not leadership and leadership only exists when people follow when they have a choice.
- Build an enduring culture. Check in with your core values and see whether they resonate and are relevant.
- Do you have the right people on the bus? First ‘who’ then ‘what’ – the right people are your most important asset. Great companies have the ability to choose the right people to come on board.
- Have the courage to confront the brutal facts. Where are your weaknesses?
- The hedgehog and the fox. Originally a tale told by Isaiah Berlin who divided writers and thinkers into two categories, Dr Collins believes great businesses are like hedgehogs: they view the world through a single lens and don’t get distracted – unlike the foxes who draw on a variety of experiences and who can’t boil down their vision to a single purpose.
What prescription would you add?
Geoff Slade has worked at the forefront of the Recruitment industry for 50 years. He is the Executive Chairman of Slade Group and was awarded a Centenary Medal for services to the industry.
