Your business is only as great as your people. Having the right people, in the right seats, doing the right things plays a huge role in the overall success of your business operations.
The right people
We all have big dreams for our business. To make those dreams come true, you’re going to need the right people.
How do you know who the right people are? The process starts with your core values. You’ve identified core values for a reason, they define your company’s way of doing things. They should define the behaviors and “fit” you expect your people to have – this is what drives a culture by design. It only makes sense that your team is aligned with your core values.
It is critical to keep your core values in mind as you bring on new talent, conduct performance reviews with existing employees, and even when you decide to reward someone or let them go. Are you regularly evaluating employees, or prospective employees to make sure they are aligned with your core values?
If not, then you should be. You can have great, highly skilled people on your team, but if they aren’t aligned with your core values, then they are poisoning your culture and “vibe”. I call them terrorists. They hijack your company with the wrong behaviors. Once other employees see them get away with things, the culture takes a dive, as no one else feel the need to live through your core values. As leaders, we should define them clearly, repeat them constantly and live by example. By allowing people who do not fit your core values to remain in your company, you will never have the culture by design that you need to move the company forward and achieve your goals.
EOS has a great tool designed to help the business determine if they have the right people. The EOS People Analyzer cuts through the subjective nature of evaluations by looking to specifically identify if each person is aligned with the company’s core values. Using a grading system of +’s and -’s your leadership team can determine what members of your team are aligned with your core values and which aren’t. If they aren’t, it will clearly show the behaviors they need to improve or start exemplifying more in order to become the right fit. If they are unable live by these behaviors, they will automatically self-select out of your culture because they will feel that they don’t fit. This doesn’t necessarily mean they are bad people or bad at their job, it simply means they are not a fit for your company’s needs.
Right seats
Once you’ve evaluated your team to determine if they’re the right people, you’ll want to make sure that they’re in the right seats. How do you determine what the right seats for the right people are? There’s only one way to make sure everyone’s on the same page, and it’s not with an org chart. All they really tell you is who reports to who, anyway. If you only take it this far, you’ll struggle with a lack of clarity around what’s more important—who is accountable.
One of the most important tools for your leadership is the accountability chart that identifies the primary seats and responsibilities for which each member of your team is accountable for. This prevents confusion around who to go for what.
Before I implemented EOS in my company, there would be two people in charge of certain areas, and when someone needed to make a decision, it felt like a mom and dad scenario: If mom says no, I go to dad to see if I can get approval.
The accountability chart only allows one person per seat, leaving a single person accountable for a decision. This brings clarity to your team through creating a much simpler flow of communication.
It is important to distinguish the difference between Accountability and Responsibility. Accountability, as the word says, is the person you can “count” on for the end result. There are many people responsible for getting a job done, but the person accountable is the one that needs to make sure everyone does what is needed to get the job accomplished.
This may be an issue for you if you often hear, “Who’s responsible for that?” Your accountability chart takes a big step backward and helps you define your organization’s structure of accountability.
Gets it. Wants it. Capacity to do it.
In order to determine if the right people are in the right seats, EOS uses the acronym GWC which stands for “gets it,” wants it,”“capacity to do it.” The right person can only be in the right seat if they can answer yes to those three questions.
Get it? Do they get all of the ins and outs of the position? Do they understand all of the responsibilities and how to see them through?
Want it? Do they genuinely want to do the job? You can’t pay, motivate, force, or beg for someone to want it. They need to want it on their own.
Capacity? Do they have the mental, physical, spiritual, time, knowledge and emotional capacity to do the job? Sometimes this one is negotiable. While not getting it or wanting it are deal-killers, a problem of capacity can be solved. If you believe the person can gain the capacity and you are willing to invest the time, resources, and energy for him or her to do so, do it.
Your leadership team needs everybody to be in the right seat, and when you use these three statements as your litmus test, you can quickly and easily determine if everyone is operating within their true skill set. The question isn’t if they are responsible, it’s if they can be accountable.
Can everybody on your leadership team pass the GWC test?
Evaluating your team to determine if truly the right for your business can be tough – after all, you hired them for a reason. It’s important to remind yourself that it is not personal – the People Analyzer simplifies this process – at the end of the day, it’s truly about having the right team in place to help you achieve your company’s vision for success.
When you have the right people in the right seats, you’ll know. Communication will flow naturally, issues will be resolved strategically and most importantly – you’ll have incredible results to show for it.
Empower your Leadership Team and improve efficiency, increase value, and foster collaboration to get better results. A professional Facilitator can ensure that all of your members are on the same page, so you can kick your business up a notch. Connect with The Profit Recipe to Achieve Traction.