1) The document discusses the importance of having the right people on the bus, or in leadership positions within an organization, and the wrong people off the bus. 2) It notes that with the right people, problems of motivation and management largely disappear, as these individuals are self-motivated to achieve great results. 3) The document examines case studies of Wells Fargo and Bank of America, finding that Wells Fargo's focus on recruiting strong talent at all levels led to far superior long-term performance compared to Bank of America.

1. FIRST WHO……
THEN WHAT
BY
MAJOR (RETD.) PRAVIN SINGH
CONFLUENCE

2. FIRST WHO…
THEN WHAT
CONFRONT CULTURE
LEVEL 5 1 ST WHO.. THE BRUTAL HEDGEHOG OF TECH
LEADERSHIP FACTS CONCEPT DISCIPLINE ACCELATOR
THEN WHAT
DISCIPLINED PEOPLE DISCIPLINED THOUGHT DISCIPLINED ACTION
FLYWHEEL

3. THERE ARE GOING TO BE
TIMES WHEN WE CAN’T WAIT
FOR SOMEBODY.
NOW, YOU’RE EITHER ON
THE BUS OR OFF THE BUS.
KEN KESEY.

4. FIRST STEP
• EXPECTED WAS FIRST STEP
WOULD BE TO SET A NEW
DIRECTION, A NEW VISION
AND STRATEGY…..
• AND THEN GET PEOPLE
COMMITTED AND ALIGNED
BEHIND THAT NEW DIRECTION.

5. FINDINGS WERE OPPOSITE
• THEY GOT THE RIGHT PEOPLE ON
THE BUS.
• AND WRONG PEOPLE OFF THE
BUS.
• RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT
SEAT.
• AND THEN THEY FIGURED OUT
WHERE TO TAKE THE BUS.

6. GREAT VISION WITHOUT GREAT
PEOPLE IS IRRELEVANT
• WITH RIGHT PEOPLE ON THE BUS,
PROBLEM OF HOW TO MANAGE AND
MOTIVATE LARGELY GOES AWAY.
• THEY ARE SELF MOTIVATED BY INNER
DRIVE TO PRODUCE RESULTS AND BE
PART OF CREATING SOMETHING GREAT.
• WITH WRONG PEOPLE IF YOU GET THE
RIGHT DIRECTION, STILL YOU WILL NEVER
ACHIEVE GREATNESS.

7. WEAK GENERALS,
STRONG LIEUTENANTS.
• WELLS FARGO VS BANK OF AMERICA.
• W.F. RECRUITED OUTSTANDING PEOPLE
WHENEVER & WHEREVER THEY FOUND
THEM, AND INJECTED ENDLESS STREAM
OF TALENT IN VEINS OF COMPANY.
• B.O.A. PICKED UP STRONG LOWER LEVEL
LEADERS AND WEAKER TOP BRASS WITH
A VISION THAT IF YOU PICK STRONG
GENERALS THEIR COMPETITORS WILL
LEAVE.

8. 70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1973 1978 1983 1988 1993 1998
WELLS FARGO GENERAL MARKET BANK OF AMERICA

9. GOOD PEOPLE DO GOOD THINGS
• W.F. : IF I AM NOT SMART
ENOUGH TO SEE THE CHANGES
THAT ARE COMING, THEY WILL.
AND THEY WILL BE FLEXIBLE
ENOUGH TO DEAL WITH IT.
• B.O.A. :THERE WERE NO
CONFLICTS, NEITHER ANY
COMMENTS. EVERY ONE WAITED
TO SEE WHICH WAY WIND BLEW.

10. SHEER RIGIOUR IN DECISIONS
• ASSEMBLING RIGHT TEAM IS NOT THE
MAIN POINT OF THIS CHAPTER.
• MAIN POINT IS TO GET THE RIGHT PEOPLE
ON THE BUS, WRONG PEOPLE OFF THE
BUS AND THEN FIGURE OUT WHERE TO
DRIVE.
• SECONDLY, THE DEGREE OF SHEER
RIGOUR NEEDED IN PEOPLE DECISIONS IN
ORDER TO TAKE A COMPANY TO ANY
HIGHTS.

11. NOT A “GENIUS WITH THOUSAND
HELPERS”
LEVEL 5 + A “GENIUS WITH
MANAGEMENT TEAM THOUSAND HELPERS”
LEVEL 4 LEADER
LEVEL 5 LEADER
FIRST WHAT
FIRST WHO
THEN WHO
THEN WHAT

12. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
• NO SYSTEMATIC PATTERN WAS
FOUND THAT LINKED EXEC
COMPENSATION TO TRANSITION.
• INFACT EXEC OF GREAT COMPANY
RECEIVED SLIGHTLY LESS
COMPENSATION AFTER 10 YEARS OF
THEIR TRANSITION THAN THEIR
COUNTER PART WHICH WERE STILL
MEDIOCRE (COMPARISION
COMPANIES).

13. COMPENSATION AND INCENTIVES
• ARE IMPORTANT. IMPLICATIONS ARE
DIFFERENT.
• PURPOSE SHOULD NOT BE TO GET
THE RIGHT BEHAVIOUR FROM
WRONG PEOPLE.
• GET THE RIGHT PEOPLE ON THE BUS.
AND THEN PURPOSE OF
COMPENSATION AND INCENTIVES
MUST BE TO KEEP THEM.

14. WEALTH WITH VALUES AND
FOR VALUES
• GREATER WEIGHT ON CHARACTER ATTRIBUTES
THAN ON SPECIFIC EDUCATIONAL
BACKGROUND, PRACTICAL SKILLS,
SPECIALISED KNOWLEDGE OR WORK
EXPERIENCE.
• NOT THAT THESE TRAITS ARE UNIMPORTANT.
BUT THEY ARE TEACHABLE.(OR ATLEAST
LEARNABLE).
• CHARACTER, WORK ETHICS, BASIC
INTELLIGENCE, DEDICATION TO FULLFILLING
COMMITMENTS AND VALUES ARE MORE
INGRAINED.
• (MARINES, SF, PARA)

15. RIGOROUS, NOT RUTHLESS
• THEY HAD RIGOROUS CULTURES, NOT
RUTHLESS CULTURES.
• TO BE RIGOROUS MEANS CONSISTENTLY
APPLYING EXACTING STANDARS AT ALL
TIMES AND AT ALL LEVELS, ESPECIALLY
UPPER MANAGEMENT.
• THE ONLY WAY TO DELIVER TO THE
PEOPLE WHO ARE ACHIEVING IS TO NOT
BURDEN THEM THE PEOPLE WHO ARE
NOT ACHIEVING.

16. HOW TO BE RIGOROUS
• PRACTICAL DISCIPLINE # 1:
WHEN IN DOUBT, DON’T HIRE-
KEEP LOOKING.
COROLLARY:
• Company should limit its growth based on its ability
to attract good people.
• Ultimate throttle on growth is not markets, or tech,
or competitions, or products.
• It is ability to get and keep enough of right people.

17. HOW TO BE RIGOROUS
• PRACTICAL DISCIPLINE # 2:
IF YOU KNOW YOU NEED TO MAKE A
PEOPLE CHANGE, ACT.
COROLLARY:
• First be sure someone is not on the wrong seat..
• Putting square pegs in square holes and round
pegs in round holes..
• Instead of firing honest and able person who is not
performing try to move them once or twice to other
position where they might blossom.

18. HOW TO BE RIGOROUS
• PRACTICAL DISCIPLINE # 3:
Put your best people in biggest
opportunities, not your biggest
problems.
COROLLARY:
• When you sell off your problems, don’t sell off your
best people.
• You need executives who argue and debate-
sometimes violently-in pursuit of best answers, yet
on other hand, who unify fully behind a decision.

19. LEVEL 5 = GOOD SOLDIER ?
 YES OF COURSE.
 HE DOES NOT BLINDLY ACQUIESCE TO
AUTHORITY AND IS A STRONG TEAM
MEMBER AND LEADER IN HIS OWN
RIGHT, SO DRIVEN AND TALENTED
THAT HE BUILDS HIS ARENA INTO ONE
OF THE VERY BEST IN WORLD.

20. DESCRIPTION OF
WORK
OTHER THAN MARRIAGE,
IT WAS THE PASSIONATE
LOVE AFFAIR OF MY LIFE.
-A RETIRED EXECUTIVE
EXPLAINED.

21. LOVE YOUR WORK
 Be dedicated, committed, faithful,
diligent, rigorous, disciplined,
dogged, determined, precise,
fastidious, systematic,
methodical, workmanlike,
demanding, consistent, focused,
accountable and responsible.
 Both to your work and your wife.
 ENJOY YOUR LIFE AND
FRUITS THAT FOLLOW.