It Is Not About The People

The understandable and very common answer from those at the "top" is that our people are our greatest asset and that they are the difference makers.

People can and do make a difference. But they are not any company or organizations most valuable assets.

The most valuable asset is not people; the most valuable asset is the right people.

The right people do the right things, the right way, at the right times and if they fail they are not hesitant to share their failures, especially when they are seeking help. Yes, the right people will ask for help and they will take the advice as they seek to learn. The right people know that failure isn't fatal. 

The right people have aggressive yet realistic expectations. They do not expect too much and will not, for long, accept too little. 

The right people ask questions and listen to answers. 

The right people are team members, who focus on contributing and helping the team to a successful outcome and do not really care who gets the public credit. They understand that not everyone can contribute at the same level and they are accepting of that, as long as the other team members are making a solid effort.

The right people can identify, the wrong people and yet they do not judge. They understand that over time, the right people will demonstrate why and how they separate themselves from the crowd. They know that the right environment will run the wrong people off. The right people will not throw the wrong people under the bus. They will however, when the timing is right, with compassion and empathy, help the wrong people to get off the bus. 

The right people make exceptional leaders because they know that no one is more important than anyone else. They know that everyone has a job that entails differing degrees of importance and that without everyone pulling  in the same direction all may be lost. They know that winning is a combined effort. The make sure the right people are in the right seats and that they are getting all of the help they need. 

When the right people are promoted to a leadership role, they already know the "who and what". They know, that they have earned a leadership role because of who they are, not what they are. Who they are is an individual that has excelled and has diligently earned the new role. They do not allow the new position (the “what”) to make decisions. They make decisions based on the right information, independent of who is involved. They do not show favoritism, they lead empathetically and when the time is right, they make decisions that will impact others, sometimes significantly. The right people care about all other people.

People are not the most valuable asset, the right people are. Are you the right person?