When I was a little boy growing up in Warrenton, Virginia, my father would take me on Sundays to watch the trains. It was always an exciting time for me. I would watch the big passenger and freight trains come into the station. I loved the variety of cars that the engines pulled. There were tanker cars, gondola cars, coal cars, refrigerated cars, log cars, passenger cars and, of course, a caboose!

When the trains with the passenger cars stopped in the station, I loved looking at the passengers that got off and boarded the train. I remember seeing people who didn’t get there on time and missed the train. And I remember my Dad’s words, “If you miss the train, you’ll never get to where you want to go!

That thought has stuck with me all of these years as it applies to one’s life.

In his best-selling book From Good to Great, Jim Collins not only talks about the importance of getting on the train, but getting the right people with you to make the journey.

Hire for Attitude

Jim Collins is on target. Change in the business world is sometimes faster than the speed of light and having the right teammates on your “train” is critical to your success. During any journey you’ll encounter some “detours” and you need people who are flexible and adaptable.

Great companies understand the importance of hiring for attitude and training for skills. That doesn’t mean if you need a carpenter you hire a plumber.  What it means is that you identify the job and find the person that has an attitude that matches their skills.  So many companies make the mistake of hiring the first person that comes along. If you have any doubts, don’t hire the person. Keep in mind that your attitude will directly affect your altitude. You can teach most people what the job is all about, but you can’t teach them to smile, be nice, be positive or love what they do.

Make Them Owners

Once you’ve got the right teammates on board, make them owners. When people own things, they take great PRIDE in what they do. Think about it.  If you are renting a home or a car you probably don’t spend a lot of time “working on it.”  But it’s an entirely different story if it’s yours and you own it.  I remember the first bike I ever owned and I took great care of it, to make sure it didn’t get scratched. I took so much PRIDE in it.

The same holds true for jobs!  When you own your job and can make decisions the pride in you swells. You want to do things to the best of your ability and do them right.

Lead Them

Managing people is like herding cats, and if you can herd carts, you’re pretty daggone good. Guide, lead and support your teammates. Let them know you care, that they make a difference and that what they do is critical to the team’s success.  Get into discussions with them, ask questions as opposed to giving direction, and catch them doing things right. We can all catch people doing things wrong, as the only people that don’t make mistakes are the people that don’t’ do anything (and you can have them!).  Most of all be there for them. Great leaders are like conductors on a train. They roam up and down the aisle talking with everyone, making sure they person knows where they are going and helping them with any questions or concerns. They truly LBWA (Leadby Wandering Around) and they do it on a consistent basis.

So get the right people on the train, help them get to where they want to go, coach them, cheer them on and help them celebrate their wins. If you do they will be “all aboard.”