Warning: This blog post contains some salty, not-suitable-for-work language ... but it makes a really important point. Consider yourself warned.

==========

I’m reading Tom Peters’ latest book, The Excellence Dividend, when I stumbled upon this piece of genius, courtesy of former Burger King CEO Barry Gibbons.

“I didn’t have a mission statement at Burger King. I had a dream. Very simple. It was something like, ‘Burger King is 250,000 people, every one of whom gives a shit.’ Every one. Accounting. Systems. Not just the drive-through. Everyone is in the brand. That’s what we’re talking about, nothing less.”

That’s business. That’s excellence. That’s your competitive advantage.

Does your team — everyone on your team — give a shit? Do they care? About your vision? About your mission? About your core values? About your clients and customers? About where you’ve been, and where you are, and where you’re going?

If not, you’re going nowhere.

Your ability to achieve your vision depends almost entirely on your team’s commitment to that vision. Do you (in Jim Collins’ words) have the right people in the right seats? Have you surrounded yourself with people who believe what you believe, and who have the God-given ability to do their jobs well? You need both.

You need people who give a shit, and who are willing to work their tails off for it.

That means your vision, your strategy, starts with your people. Hire the right people and you’re golden. Hire the wrong people and you’re toast.

Start with your people. Hire people who believe what you believe.

The rest is easy.