Staff Highlights…

Not only have you, the student, been reading “Good to Great”, we as a staff have been indulging in it as well. We have absorbed lots of useful information, both individually and collectively, from our readings. IAs a result, we wanted to highlight a few of the staff take-a-ways:

• “… In order to sustain transformation, we have to understand what our individual or group goals (patterns) are. We have to understand the process that is essential to lead us to our GREAT.”
• “… A Level 5 Leader will first get the right people on the bus, then figure out the best way to become great.”
• “If you are consistent and willing, you will eventually gain momentum and reach a breakthrough.”
• The flywheel….simply put, your momentum.  If you keep taking step after step after step the momentum starts to increase, attracting others to be part of the spinning flywheel.  They’re doing something that they have passion for and get the understanding that it all works together.  So, the more momentum there is, the faster the breakthrough.  Everyone knows where they fit in the puzzle if you will, and discipline themselves to change and progress, quietly reaching the goal. No accolades needed.”
• “Greatness isn’t a matter of circumstance, but rather a position of will, determination, and the DESIRE to be great. Everyone wants a shot at greatness, but not everyone is willing to work for it.”
• Jim Collins taught me that being great is heavily reliant on having the right people on your team. Greatness is a possibility when doing it by yourself, but it’s a guarantee with the right people on your team.

Transformation: We Were Good, Now We’re Great!!

Drum roll please (insert drum roll sound effects here)… You get the picture right? We have reached the ending, the conclusion, the GRAND FINALE of Good to Great written by Jim Collins! WHOO-HOO! New beginnings, fresh starts and most importantly TRANSFORMATION should be on the horizon for all of you.

So let’s get to it… How do we make sense of a business book and consistently apply the practical lessons to our everyday lives? What is there to learn from this book? Well, we’re glad you asked that question :). Oft times we feel lost in this thriving, fast-paced world of 7 billion people underestimating ourselves. But why should we? Each and every one of us is relevant and born with a unique purpose. Hopefully this book has assisted you in finding that purpose!

First, YOU must condition yourself to be a Level 5 Leader: humble, modest and determined or simply put a doer and not just a talker. When you’re willing to go the extra mile to obtain your goals, dreams and aspirations, others will be drawn to your character. Which leads to the next point: getting the correct people on YOUR bus. It is important for you now, as a high schooler, to build a strong team of the “right people”. What do I mean by that? The people you interact with on daily basis have to be those that have an interest in propelling/pushing you forward instead of holding you back. Take UBMS for example. UBMS has every intention to propel you towards your goals through college visits, workshops, staying at WSU over the Summer, paying for college classes during your Bridge year, etc. These benefits won’t only stick with you today, but will remain with you in your future. UBMS is on your bus, but who else is? Will their contributions to your greatness outlast the right now?

Thirdly, you can’t be scared to confront the brutal facts. If you know bad grades, laziness, lack of support, etc., are holding you back from realistically being great, what do you plan to do about it? How will you fix it?

“Don’t be in a hurry. Jumping in and finding a quick solution may get the job done, but that often leads to finding out that the quick steps taken the first time don’t always work the second time.” – Ms. Santaigo, UBMS

Now that you are a Level 5 leader, have the right people on your bus and have confronted what’s holding you back from greatness, now you must form your Hedgehog Concept. What are you PASSIONATE about? What DRIVES you? WHAT ARE YOU THE BEST AT IN THE WORLD? What is your answer to all these questions? Write it down. Take a picture. Do whatever it takes to remember and refine the answers to those questions.

Lastly, are you on the flywheel or the doomloop? Are you building momentum towards your goals (i.e. tutoring to bring that grade up, scholarships for college, attending workshops to learn new skills and information)? As your momentum builds, your goals will push themselves (your breakthrough) and next thing you know, you’ll be in college. Getting there will be a breeze if you follow the above steps.

All in all, we wanted you to read this book to help you to sloooowwww down and be aware of the people you’re surrounded by, the decisions you’re making and how they will affect your future. We hope you received some knowledge from this book that you can use to make your present easier and your future brighter. We, the staff, sure did and we will be examples of how you can go from GOOD TO GREAT! 

“It is no harder to build something great than to build something good.” – Jim Collins

Hedgehog Concept…. What are YOU the best in the world at?

Chapter 5 of G2G asks a very thought provoking question: “What are you the best in the WORLD at?” When I first came across this sentence, I stopped and thought “Hmmm, I’ve never asked myself that before. What AM I the best in the world at?” Unfortunately, I have yet to come up with an answer (I’ll have one sooner than later; don’t fret :)).

As I sat reflecting for about a week on what I’m the best in the world at, one day in a staff meeting, Mrs. Banks comes up with a genius explanation of the Hedgehog Concept and there it was… my A-HA moment. Mrs. Banks took the Hedgehog Concept and simplified it in a way that made it tangible. Real. Explainable.

The picture above (no, we didn’t steal a 3rd graders homework) has 5 different words on it, each associated with a different body part: issues, values, capacity, interests, and commitment. Issues begin in your mind and can be resolved in your mind. Values come from the heart. They are what you hold near and dear to you; your personal principles that you want to live up to. Capacity simply put means that you have the ability to store everything needed to succeed in life, your strength, willpower, etc. YOU just have to tap into it and use it.  Interests are associated with your stomach.because they are things that catch your attention, are fulfilling or enjoyable. Commitments are associated with the feet indicating symbolizing you are obligated to put forth, walk into or walk through something you agreed to do. Each of us possess these 5 words in these 5 places, however we all have been gifted with different ways to utilize them.

With that being said, I want you to ask yourself (are you talking to yourself yet?… Yes, I’m serious) how will YOU utilize your issues, values, capacity, interests, and commitment to bring together all 3 circles of the Hedgehog Concept in order to figure out what you’re best in the world at? What drives you? What are you passionate about?

Your life mission is to figure out the above question. Once you figure out what you can be best in the world at, you can figure out how to go from good to great!

Who’s on YOUR Bus?

The transition from Good to GREAT is ongoing at the UBMS office and I hope the transition is happening within your publicly traded corporation as well. Last month our time was spent on Level 5 leadership and understanding what our results, whether they be stock prices or grades, say about our leadership and work ethic. If your GPA (Stock price) is not where it should be, what does that say about your company? Business is a results-driven enterprise and your life should be too! Chapter three focuses on the concept team selection. THE RIGHT PEOPLE MATTER! Again, thinking of your life as your publicly traded corporation, who is on your management team? What roles do they play? Author Jim Collins simply asks the question of “Who is on your bus? And what seat are they sitting in?”

The “people on your bus” are the people that are surrounding you and giving you advice. Do these people generally know what they are talking about? Are they the best people to provide advice on the matters where you need counsel? I recently had a former UBMS student tell me that he was surprised that college was so hard because his friends had told him that is was easy. I submit to you that our alum should invite this person to get off his bus!

Surrounding ourselves with experts is a solid leadership tenet demonstrated by titans of industry. If works for Fortune 500 companies, why won’t is work for your life? If your best friend has a 1.5 GPA is that the person you ask for study advice? Do you ask the guy who has never had a job to give you a mock interview? Do you let people who have no dreams, take yours and walk on them? You are the company the keep and the persons who sit on your management team have an impact on your life and your accomplishments. If they aren’t the best at what they do…why should they be on your dream team?

As you continue on your journey, take some time to evaluate those persons whom you have allowed to be on your team. If their value isn’t apparent, invite them to get off your bus or switch their seat. Don’t let them continue to ride…its bad for you and it’s bad for them. Once your bus is full with the right people and everyone is in the right seat, you will be ready to ride off into your future!

Good or Great…. What’s the Difference?

What is the difference between good and great? Many people are good at things, but only few are great, and those are the people we revere, respect and pay homage to. In your book, “Good to Great”, Jim Collin’s was intentional about choosing 11 companies that were not only great, but that REMAINED great. 

I can think back to when I was in high school. The star football player was an awesome quarterback (and he was pretty hot too :)) in which every football game, our entire high school put their faith in him to get the ‘W’ for us; oft times than not, he succeeded. We all assumed that since football was his craft, a craft that he had perfected, he would go onto post-secondary and become a star college athlete and even propel into the NFL. He didn’t. Fast-forwarding to now, he never went on to post-secondary thus he stopped playing football, now he’s working a $10 an hour job at the bank where he’ll most likely stay because that’s “good enough”.

So you’re probably wondering, “Ok, Ms. Bruce, what does the star football player from your high school have to do with me or this book?” COMMITMENT. Commitment is essential to greatness. Jim Collins chose 11 companies who were not only great, but who have remained great because of the commitment they have displayed to perfecting their craft. Talent or ability can allow you to be good, very good in fact, but it’s commitment that separates the wheat from the chaff; the good from the great. The star football player from my high school could have been great, only if he had committed to remaining great.

You can be great as well, in whatever it is that you are currently doing or desire to be: a leader, boss, student, class president, biologist, engineer, doctor, UBMS, reading this book; if you take the time and display the effort to commit and remain committed, greatness is sure to follow.

Message from the Director

Just prior to the holidays, each of you received a book, either in person or in the mail.  Along with the book, “Good to Great” by Jim Collins, you also received information about our UBMS-wide reading/blogging project for 2013.

I have begun reading my book and I hope you have too.  The reading assignments were included with your mailing. By now you should know all about the 11 “Good to Great” companies and the comparison companies used as a base for the research on which the book is built. These 11 companies proved they were GREAT based on their results over a 15-year time period.  They consistently outperformed the comparison companies as well as the general market over the time period listed. For purposes of this exercise, I want you to think of your life as your corporation. You are the President and CEO.  Your “corporation” is in the business of academic and personal success.  Your results are your grades, test scores, opportunities and other outputs.

Are you a Level 5 leader as described in the second chapter of Collins’ book, page 20?  Are you building greatness though a mesh of personal humility and professional will?  Are you ambitious first and foremost for the cause [your life], for the company, for the work [your grades], not for himself or herself [your ego]; and has an absolutely terrifying iron will to make good on that ambition [produce results]. Are you humble?

If you need to think of your corporation as your family, student council, band or athletic teams for this to make sense, do so. Just create a milieu that you can use to personalize the information in this text for your life.

On my way to Great!
Mrs. Morgan