Get the right driver on the bus

The advice of "Get the right people on the bus" has resonated thourghtout board rooms and recruiting blogs.  Such sage advice.. plus get the wrong people off the bus..  This advice has created a new paradigm  in American business especially as the downturn continues and companies are cutting into the core of their employee roles.

Following the bus metaphor, what happens if we consider the role of the bus driver.   The "right driver" with a well grounded map knowing where s/he is going . Who knows the shortcuts... the safety features: the paved and unpaid roads to success.  Ahh and compare this with the wrong driver who has a vague idea ofwhere to go: how to get there: who controls the heat and air to fit his internal temperature gauge without regard to the passengers(employees) and who favors sapped over safety.

Of course, the metaphors are many.  But the concept of substituting plant managers, division  vice presidents, chief  financial officers etc etc for the bus driver are endless.  It is possible to have the right people on the bus with the wrong driver.  And the results are similar to the bus being driven into a ravine... calamitous.

Focusing on the hiring and training of leaders (bus drivers) is indeed worth considering as we retool and again grow our companies.