About Those "Right People on the Bus"

There is a teamwork/leadership platitude about having "the right people on the bus."   The point should not be taken lightly; as a leader, you absolutely want to have a knowledgeable, skilled team working with you to accomplish the tasks at hand.

So let's take that analogy just a little bit further. Once you have that team in place, meaning you have the "right people on the bus," it's probably pretty helpful from your leadership viewpoint to understand what those people need and want.

People who ride buses like to know where they are going.  As the driver of the bus, the leader, it is your responsibility to  not only state your goals, but to state them frequently, such as when each new person gets on the bus.  Giving solid, confident information is one of the best things you can do for a team.

People who ride buses also like to know when they've arrived at their destination.   Sometimes, as leaders, we may be very good at setting out the tasks at hand, but not so great at telling everyone, "Hey, we're there.  We did what we set out to do.    Great job!"  Great teams need to have accomplishments celebrated.

People who ride buses need to know that the bus is  not only operational, but safe.  I have witnessed work environments that were populated with talented, willing team members. . .but (and for often legitimate reasons) the team wasn't convinced that the company was solid, or that they were safe in taking risks on behalf of the company.  Figuratively, they started opening the emergency doors and escaping.   As a foundation, teams need to know that the entity that they are working for is solid, safe and in good working order.

People who ride buses need to know that the bus driver (you) is qualified.   Do you know how to get where you're going?  Do you know how to operate the bus (company)?  Do you execute your position with fairness and confidence?   Teams need to be able to answer these questions with a resounding "yes!"

People who ride buses need to know that the bus driver (again, you) will not tolerate disruptive, unscrupulous people on the bus and will throw them off of the bus.  'Nuf said.

Really great bus drivers (team leaders) are noted for their ability to answer questions without taking their eyes off of the road, their willingness to help  riders who are in need of assistance and to do the right thing . . .even if takes them a little bit off schedule.

Here's one more thing. . .should the bus driver (again, you) become unable to drive - is there someone else on the bus who can guide the team to their destination?    It's worth thinking about.

Brent Frerichs is the author of "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders," available for e-readers, tablets, PC's and Apple Products from Amazon Kindle.