Why the Right People Matter

I hope you don't mind if I take a moment to stand on my soap box for a moment, but I have been reading again...well actually listening because my latest selection has been a book on tape. This book has been proliferated throughout corporate offices for the past few years as THE book to read if you want to get ahead, etc. etc. I will be the first to admit that lots of folks especially leaders (including pastors yall) get hooked on catch phrases of the moment, and life changing books, etc. So I am not claiming that to be the case with this book. If you are not into business reading don't read it...you will not enjoy it. However, there is one concept that is addressed in this book that I believe applies to every aspect of life. The author highlights one of the keystones of moving a company or any organization from "good" to "great" is to have the right people on board. This may not seem like new to most of you...but for me it was one of those common sense awakenings...something that I already knew but never really thought about. The more I thought on this topic I realized that this was not only true in corporate America, but also applied in our personal lives. We all have friend, associates, lovers, whatever you want to call them...who are not the "right people" in our lives. They are not supportive, they are not there for you when you need them, they seem more interested in themselves than in anyone else around them. If we really took a good inventory of the people we carry around in life we would be shocked at how much time we spend on people who don't do anything to add value to our lives. So, in essence, if you want to move yourself from "good" to "great" as a human being...start by looking at those that are around you...and ask yourself - "Are they the right person?" If you are not opposed to reading or listening to a business book check this one out. Good to Great by Jim Collins.