Fred D. Campobasso
President, AMDC Solutions in Healthcare Real Estate
A common misconception, companies often believe that the path to success starts with a great idea and a healthy amount of planning.
At last year’s Health Forum/AHA Leadership Summit, I listened to keynote speaker Jim Collins, the author of Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Don’t. He’s spent the last decade researching the secrets behind the success of great companies. As many of you know, he believes that, despite popular opinion, even the best idea wouldn’t save you if you don’t have the right team. Collins attributes long-term success to two things: having the “right people on the bus before you figure out where to drive it” and maintaining inspired standards when selecting those people. Never settle for second best and work hard to assemble a team of self-motivated and self-disciplined people. He’s a strong advocate for changing whatever it takes until you have the right team in place before concentrating on the plan. If you are currently in the process of starting a new project—or just contemplating one—this might come as a harsh reality check.
So, what can you do to salvage a project that’s heading down the wrong path? As Jim Collins would tell you, take a good, long look at the people on your bus. Are they the right people? Are they the right people in the wrong seat? Bottom line, if they’re not lining up to your expectations, they either need to be put in the right seat or they need to be replaced. At the end of the day, the most important thing is to make the project successful.
Every organization has its ups and downs. I’ve been in this business for over twenty years and I can tell you firsthand that it’s not easy to get and keep great people on your bus. But once you assemble that dream team, your determination and perseverance will pay off.
