Hiring the Right People for Business Growth
- Herman Veitch
- Aug 26
- 3 min read
Mastering Jim Collins's 'Get the Right People on the Bus' Principle and Prioritising Character Alignment Over Skills in Your SME
Welcome to Your Dream Team! For men in their 40s and 50s looking to transform business growth challenges into scalable success and a lasting legacy, understanding the human element of your business is paramount. You're growing, and that's fantastic! But as your business expands, so does the complexity of your team. The urge might be to hire the "smartest" people, those with the most impressive resumes. However, truly sustainable growth, which is key for hiring the right people for business growth, hinges on something far more profound: getting the right people on your bus. This week, we're diving into the art of building a team that not only performs but thrives together, embracing teachability, teamwork, and diversity, all while deeply understanding Jim Collins 'get the right people on the bus' principle and the crucial need for prioritising character alignment over skills in hiring.
Jim Collins' Golden Rule: Right People, Right Bus, Right Seats
Jim Collins, in "Good to Great," famously championed the principle: "First, get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats." This isn't just a catchy phrase; it's a strategic imperative. For businesses aiming to scale, especially those led by men in their 40s and 50s who are striving for scalable success and a lasting legacy, prioritising character and alignment with company values over mere skills or experience is paramount. This embodies the core of prioritising character alignment over skills in hiring.
Why is this so critical for hiring the right people for business growth?
Skills can be taught: Teachability means an employee can adapt and grow with your systems. While a skill set is important, a willingness and capacity to learn new ways of working, particularly with your unique systems and processes, is invaluable.
Culture Fit is Priceless: A team player who embodies your core values will amplify your purpose and vision. This isn't just about a "nice" atmosphere; it's about building a supportive brotherhood of purpose within your organisation, where everyone is pulling in the same direction.
Diversity Fuels Innovation: Different perspectives lead to better problem-solving and stronger outcomes. A diverse team, unified by shared values, can tackle complex challenges more effectively.
Ignoring this principle is a costly mistake. The cost of a bad hire is astronomical, far exceeding just salary. It includes lost productivity, recruitment expenses, negative team morale, and even customer dissatisfaction. This is a challenge you, as a business owner in your 40s or 50s, want to avoid if you're serious about your lasting legacy.
The Voice of the Employee: Building a Resilient Team
Listening to your employees means understanding what makes them thrive. It means cultivating an environment where:
They feel valued and heard, reducing turnover costs from dissatisfied employees. This human-centric approach is vital for building trust.
They are aligned with your systems and processes, minimising resistance to new workflows. This is where human-centric systems coaching becomes invaluable, ensuring your people embrace the structures that drive efficiency.
Their satisfaction contributes directly to your overall productivity and customer satisfaction.
As Simon Sinek puts it, "A team is not a group of people who work together. A team is a group of people who trust each other." Trust is built on character and shared values, reinforcing why prioritising character alignment over skills in hiring is non-negotiable.
Ready to Optimise Your Most Valuable Asset?
Your people are your greatest asset, especially when scaling. By focusing on character, teachability, and cultural alignment, you build a resilient, high-performing team ready to propel your business through its "second wave" of growth and beyond. This is how you truly transform business growth challenges into scalable success.
Curious how robust systems, combined with human-centric systems coaching, can transform your business? Download our free decision-making tool today! It's your first step, a powerful "taster" that will help you pinpoint your current challenges and show you exactly how our comprehensive online course on building systems and processes can propel your business beyond the 5-year mark, ensuring your lasting legacy.
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