The April issue of Inc. has an interview with Jim Collins of Good to Great fame. When Good to Great was published some years ago I thought it was one of the most important and thoughtful business books of our time. I still believe that. Collins' Hedgehog Concept helped us define our business in a way that has been productive and fun.
But that doesn't mean that Collins is right about everything. One of the principles Collins espouses is, First Who ... Then What. He revisits that principle briefly in the Inc. interview. As I understand it, Collins suggests that we not worry about things like what we're going to sell or how we're going to sell it or what our business model or strategy might be or how we intend to differentiate our companies. Just gather up some spiffy folks and let them figure it all out.
Couple of problems with that. Great people want to be part of something meaningful. First Who doesn't leave much room for an inspiring vision (something else Collins doesn't have much use for). But even more importantly, First Who doesn't address the absolute requirement of talent. That's a problem because great achievement starts with great ability – in fact, great achievement DEMANDS great ability. Apparently, in the world of Jim Collins, great people are equally great at everything they do. That's not what I observe in the world.
Great leaders and great managers match the talent of the individual with the task at hand – that's how they create outstanding results. If you don't know what results you intend to create (the What in Collins' vernacular) you can't possibly select the optimal talent for the task. And you won't get optimal results.
I know it's heresy to challenge Jim Collins, but I'll bet he doesn't mind.
