The Right People
The ability to attract and retain the right people is the key to a company’s success:
Those who build great companies understand that the ultimate throttle on growth for any great company is not markets, or technology, or competition, or products. It is one thing above all others: the ability to get and keep enough of the right people.
– Jim Collins, Good to Great.
As CEO of Conisus, I realize this now more than ever. Our company places strong emphasis on succession planning at all levels of the organization. This requires all of our leaders (including myself) to understand that we are all replaceable. During our business careers “life happens:” people get transferred, sick, married, divorced, etc. All of these can be life-altering, can cause a person to temporarily or permanently leave a position to focus on more important things in life. Companies that proactively plan for these life events with a strong cadre of successors are able to endure and prevail over the long-term. It takes a very secure person to realize that everyone is replaceable and to prepare others to take his or her role. The ultimate compliment for great leaders is an organization’s continued success long after their exit.
Whenever I participate in the interview process at Conisus I tell prospective candidates, “If you have any doubt about how important people are to our company, look no further than the team that reports directly to me, including our VP of HR, because I am sincerely committed to ensuring we attract, retain, and develop the right people.”
Jeff Giampalmi