Relationships #Quote
Photo Source: Chick-fil-A Corporate Bios
“You never will have an impact on someone, unless you have a relationship with them.”
-Dan Cathy,
September 26, 2012
2012 Fall Forum
Dallas, Ga
Below is a video from CNN this weekend. I think Dan’s view on relationships is evident with the interview of Shane Windmeyer of Campus Pride.
What Makes A Great Company?
Working at Chick-fil-A, you often hear others say, “Wow, Chick-fil-A is SUCH a great company!”
While it’s true I have the privilege to work for an awesome Store that is part of a great company, outsiders rarely notice that it has taken years and years to achieve that status & company culture.
Some say that great companies are:
- creative
- visionary
- charismatic
- ambitious
- blessed with luck
- risk seeking
- heroic
- will be making big, bold moves
Well let me tell you this…
Your competition is also (if not better than you):
- more creative
- more visionary
- more charismatic
- more ambitious
- more lucky
- more risk seeking
- more heroic
- making bigger, bolder moves
So what makes your company one that is is more efficient, more profitable, has better products and makes better decisions than your competitor? Here’s a hint… It has to be “something” deep within the culture that isn’t easily copied or followed.
In his latest book, Jim Collins says, “Great companies embrace a paradox of control & non control. They have Fanatic Control, Empirical Creativity and Productive Paranoia.” These three combined create what Collins calls “Level 5 Ambition” for an organization.
Does your company have these three traits? Do you have these traits in your team?
Get the Right People on Your Side #Leadership #Quote
A crucial part of leadership is getting the right people on your side. Jim Collins has a great analogy below.
You are a bus driver. The bus, your company, is at a standstill, and it’s your job to get it going. You have to decide where you’re going, how you’re going to get there, and who’s going with you.
Most people assume that great bus drivers (read: business leaders) immediately start the journey by announcing to the people on the bus where they’re going—by setting a new direction or by articulating a fresh corporate vision.
In fact, leaders of companies that go from good to great start not with “where” but with “who.” They start by getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats. And they stick with that discipline—first the people, then the direction—no matter how dire the circumstances.
- Jim Collins, Author & Consultant
photo credit: Whiskeygonebad via photo pin cc
