Every organization whether it be public, non-profit, or private has a group that is the leadership core. It could be as little as 2 or as large as 10 people who seem to always show up, always have ideas, and have the direction and power in which the group will follow. In small business of course, this is the owner and perhaps investors or those hired to conduct important responsibilities.
This blog's theme is "The panoramic view". Those at the top must understand the significance of how the business fits into the broad expanse of profitable companies, the specific business sector, and then local economy. They must take time to see the "forest for the trees".
Fortune Magazine in their May 21, 2012 issue have an article about team players. Those at the top who not only played well with the CEO, but played well with each other. In my view they also understood the value of the panoramic view as it pertained to their specific duties.
The article points out that Apple had extraordinary people at the top who stayed with Steve Jobs for 10 years or even more. They could have left but didn't. The superstars had formed a tight knit group because they had one thing in common--same values. They didn't have to compete, they worked together. There have been superstars assembled before in other companies, but they all wanted the CEO's job. They acted alone, as individuals. They never thought of themselves as a member of a group. They did not have the same values. This is what did not happen at Apple.
When analyzing the best Teams at the top, several common themes emerge, according to the article, beside values:
1. trustworthiness
2. differing backgrounds, experiences, able to compensate for weaknesses in CEO and others.
3. no larger than 9 people. After that the group stops talking to each other.
4. when there was conflict, met it directly, and solved it. Able to address the problem and moved on.
One of the hardest problems for small business owners is to let someone else "in". The business is your baby. You have strong emotional ties. You had the conception, the garage/kitchen/extra bedroom and saw the business move out of the home to "real" space. You formed the business officially, met the attorney/accountant/graphic designer, filed the government papers, and smiled when you saw your business cards for the first time.
Can you trust someone to think and act like you do? Have the heart and soul like you do? In some ways I hope not. You don't need an exact twin. You need someone who compliments you. Where your skills are a bit lacking, they have strengths. And that is where trust comes in. So do your homework when you hire them. Make sure they check out in every way. And hopefully they will stay with you for 10+ years just like it happened at Apple.
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