What is it that makes a team?

Author Jim Collins, who wrote the business classic Good to Great, told us to make sure we had the right people on the bus.

The analogy has become a bit of a cliché in the business world, and leaders and consultants everywhere are talking about getting the right people on the bus and getting the wrong people off the bus.

But here’s the thing. If you want a great team, what you DON’T want are passengers. People who get on the bus and are happy to go along while someone else drives.

Who’s putting in?

What you want are participators. People who each play a role in getting the team or the business where it needs to go. People whose efforts are integral to the success of the venture, of the project, of the day-to-day. If they’re not integral, why are they there?

So you don’t want people on your bus.

You want people on your boat.