Paul Mengert with Jim Collins

Friends: 

A few months ago, I had a great morning with Jim Collins, author of Good to Great. Collins teaches that great companies, organizations (including charities) or associations become "great" by staying highly focused. They are focused on their products, service or mission, their customers (or members) and/or their businesses. Those with a simple, concise mission tend to have more sustainable success than those which are less focused. 

    Jim Collins (left) with Paul Mengert, President - Association Management Group, Inc.

Collins preaches and I want to share with my friends, clients a colleagues a set of characteristics he has found to be common among the most successful organizations:

      - Passionate about their products or services;

      - Non complacent;

      - Non ego-driven; and 

      - Embrace change.

Think about how these concepts apply or can apply to your organization:

Leadership - Principled leadership trumps charisma and mixes humility with professional will. Ego-driven leaders tend to lose sight of their goals, while accomplished leaders put the organization/association/business goals ahead of personal ones. Leaders must take responsibility and have the courage to execute what must be done and not compromise high standards.

Talent is the Key - Great organizations remove the wrong people from their team and refuse to compromise quality. Put your best people on your biggest opportunities, not your biggest problems and remember people are often brilliant at one thing but not everything.

Confront Facts - Instill a no blame culture, where the real problems can be discussed openly. Organizations must discuss real problems and adapt quickly to changing conditions.

Hedgehog Concept -- Three Interlinking Circles:

1) What are we deeply passionate about?

2) What are our strongests strengths? 

3) What drives our economic engine?

Great organizations are focused on where these three circles (concepts), where they overlap.

Discipline - Organizations that want to truly outpace their competition set and hold high standards, with commitment not only to do the right things but to stop doing things that are key to their missions.

Technology - Technology can't make one a leader, but can help one reach his/her goals. Technology isn't a culture, but adapt quickly to ever evolving technologies.

While every situation is different, these concepts can be applied to most and when done consistently, seem to lead to superior results.

Posted by: Paul Mengert, President - Association Management Group, Inc.