The famous Jim Collins, of so much business thinking, in a recent executive presentation mentioned that nothing shed so much light on the true values of an organization as the decisions on who to put in key places. Said differently, Collins was suggesting the people make all the difference, even in a digital age, and that their training and development should be a core competency for any organization looking to thrive beyond the short-term.
In a time when both employers and employees are wrestling with the right balances of things like remote work, career expectations, professional development, and the right kinds of business environments we can be tempted to forget Collins' advice in the pressing demands of the moment.
That said, Collins is a noted long-term thinker in a short-term world. If we were to remind ourselves of his advice and place among our top priorities the development of our team, we would probably pause for a moment to recognize the truth of the words of the great Jim Goodnight, of SAS founding fame: "If you treat people like they make a difference, they will."
Clark Twiddy, President of Twiddy & Company, is the author of our Leadership Corner, published on our blog the third Tuesday of each month. He can be reached at ctwiddy@twiddy.com.
