Good To Great Message

The right people don’t need to be managed. The moment you feel the need to tightly manage someone, you’ve made a hiring mistake.

That was management consultant Jim Collins in the Feb. 2 issue of Fortune magazine. Mr. Collins is the author of bestsellers such as “Built to Last” and “Good to Great,” so he should know something about good talent and great businesses. Here’s more of what he said in an interview with Fortune senior writer Jennifer Reingold:

“The right people don’t think they have a job: They have responsibilities. If I’m a climber, my job is not [just] to belay. My responsibility is that if we get in trouble, I don’t let my partner down.

“The right people do what they say they will do, which means being really careful about what they say they will do. It’s key in difficult times. In difficult environments our results are our responsibility. People who take credit in good times and blame external forces in bad times do not deserve to lead. End of story.”

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