Jim Collins concept for high performance: Getting the Right People on the Bus

Positive Leadership: Creating a Climate Where People Thrive

How Workplace Culture Unlocks Organisational Success

When [Jim Collins](https://thegrowthfaculty.com/articles/jim-collins-leadership-researcher-the-growth-faculty) first introduced the metaphor of "First who, then what" (i.e. "first getting the right people on the bus") in his bestselling business classic "_Good to Great_," he fundamentally changed how leaders think about team building. 

He showed that exceptional companies didn't hire warm bodies to fill seats. Instead, they were rigorous in their efforts to assemble an entire "busload" of _only_ the _right_ people. 

_"To be rigorous means consistently applying exacting standards at all times and at all levels, especially in upper management,"_ writes Jim in _"Good to Great."_

But what exactly makes someone the "right person"? And how do today's most successful leaders identify, develop, and retain these game-changing team members?

Jim Collins and First Who, Then What

Jim and his team's meticulous research revealed something counterintuitive: great leaders don't start with vision and strategy. They start with people. Specifically, they focus on getting:

*   the right people on the bus
*   the wrong people off the bus
*   and the right people in the right seats before they figure out _where_ to drive.

For many leaders this transforms everything they've learned about leadership and teamwork. But Jim contends that when you have the _right_ people, they'll adapt to changing markets, pivot when necessary, and find solutions to problems you haven't even anticipated yet. _Wrong_ people, no matter how skilled, will drain energy and derail progress.

#### The Ideal Team Player

Patrick Lencioni expanded on this foundation with his concept of the [ideal team player.](https://thegrowthfaculty.com/articles/patrick-lencioni-frameworks-for-high-performing-teams) This is someone who embodies three essential virtues: hungry, humble, and smart. Trialled in his own company The Table Group, Patrick discovered these aren't just nice-to-have qualities; they're predictive indicators of high performance.

**Hungry** people possess an insatiable drive for results. They don't need constant coaching or motivation because their internal engine runs on achievement and growth. They're always looking for the next challenge, the next opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the team's success.

**Humble** individuals understand that teamwork trumps individual brilliance every time. They share credit, accept responsibility, and approach learning with genuine curiosity rather than defensive pride. This humility creates psychological safety where innovation and honest communication flourish.

**Smart** refers to people smarts (emotional intelligence that enables someone to navigate interpersonal dynamics with grace). These individuals understand how their words and actions affect others, making them invaluable in collaborative environments.

Beyond Skills: The Character Foundation

Liz Wiseman's research on ["impact players"](https://thegrowthfaculty.com/articles/LizWisemanImpactPlayers) adds another layer to our understanding of what makes the _right_ people. Impact players don't just do their jobs, says Liz, they do the job that needs to be done. They see beyond their job descriptions, anticipate needs, and step into gaps without being asked.

These individuals share five distinct behaviors:

*   They make sense of ambiguous situations;
*   get work done despite obstacles;
*   work across boundaries;
*   make disciplined decisions;
*   and consistently deliver results that matter. 

They're the people who make everyone around them more effective.

The magic happens when you combine Jim Collins's bus metaphor with Patrick Lencioni's ideal team player characteristics and Liz Wiseman's impact player behaviors. You get team members who not only excel at their roles but elevate the entire business's performance through their presence and contributions.

The Impact Player Advantage

Netflix CEO and co-founder Reed Hastings, who says he re-reads his Jim Collins book every year, took this concept to its logical conclusion with a philosophy that might make some uncomfortable but delivers undeniable results. 

Like Jim, Reed Hastings believes that good enough isn't good enough. At Netflix, it's made clear to all that _"average performance gets a generous severance package."_ This is Netflix being transparent about what high performance requires. In his book _"No Rules Rules"_ written with Erin Meyer, he says:

_"We pay our employees top of their personal market, so they are all paid very well. Part of that agreement is that they will play on the team as long as they are the best player for the spot."_ 

#### High Talent Density

He calls this [high talent density](https://thegrowthfaculty.com/articles/the-talent-density-secret-for-creating-high-performing-teams). When you're surrounded by exceptional performers, average performance doesn't just fail to contribute, it can actively hold back the team. 

Reed says employees opt into this agreement:

_"They understand that the needs of our company change quickly and we expect outstanding performance. So, each employee who chooses to join the Netflix team opts in to our high-talent-density approach."_ 

The Netflix standard might seem harsh, but it actually creates tremendous opportunity for those who embrace continuous growth. When everyone on the team is committed to excellence, the collective learning accelerates, innovation flourishes, and achievements that seemed impossible become routine.

The Netflix Standard: Excellence as Non-Negotiable

The implications of what we've learned is that your success as a leader depends primarily on the people you choose to surround yourself with.

This requires developing new capabilities:

**Talent Recognition**: Learning to identify hungry, humble, and smart individuals during the hiring process, not just those with impressive resumes or technical skills.

**Coaching Excellence**: Once you have the right people, your role shifts from micromanagement to coaching for peak performance. This means helping each team member understand how their unique strengths contribute to collective success.

**Difficult Conversations**: Sometimes being a great leader means making tough decisions about who stays on the bus. This requires courage, clarity, and the communication skills to handle these situations with dignity and fairness.

**Culture Creation**: Right people thrive in environments that support their growth and challenge their capabilities. Leaders must intentionally create cultures where hungry, humble, and smart behaviors are rewarded and where impact players can flourish.

Building Your Leadership Capability

When you successfully implement these principles, something remarkable happens. High-performance individuals attract other high-performance individuals. Your reputation as a leader who builds exceptional teams becomes a recruiting advantage. Top talent seeks out opportunities to work with other top talent.

#### A Busload of the Right People

This creates a virtuous cycle where your team's collective capability grows exponentially. With a busload of the right people, problems get solved faster, innovations emerge more frequently, and the organisation develops resilience that allows it to thrive regardless of external challenges.

The learning and development opportunities multiply as well. When surrounded by exceptional performers, everyone raises their game. Peer coaching becomes natural, knowledge sharing accelerates, and the entire team becomes a powerful learning system.

The Multiplier Effect

Understanding these concepts intellectually is just the beginning. The real transformation happens when leaders develop the skills to consistently identify, attract, develop, and retain the right people for their bus.

This requires ongoing learning, practice, and refinement. It also means getting comfortable with high standards, difficult decisions, and the continuous work of building truly exceptional teams.

_"\[Good to Great leaders\] adopted the following approach: 'Let's take the time to make rigorous A+ selections right up front. If we get it right we'll do everything we can to try to keep them on board for a long time,'"_ explains Jim in _"Good to Great."_ 

_"'If we make a mistake, then we'll confront that fact so that we can get on with our work and they can get on with their lives.'"_ 

Perhaps you ask now if you can afford to be this selective about your team members? Jim Collins would ask whether you can afford _not_ to be?

Your strategy, your technology, or your market position do matter, but Jim Collins's rigorous research showed that the journey toward exceptional team performance starts with a single decision: committing to nothing less than getting the right people on the bus.

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Jim Collins concept for high performance: Getting the Right People on the Bus

How to build the right team to get extraordinary results

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Jim Collins concept for high performance: Getting the Right People on the Bus

How to build the right team to get extraordinary results

Keep informedStay Inspired

Keep informed
Stay Inspired