“You're only as strong as your team, and people typically don't spend enough time recruiting. one of my challenges was always being like a professional recruiter, always looking at people as free agents and figuring, "Okay. They may be doing this now over there, but they seem like they have the perspective and skills that could be helpful here. How do we figure out a way of bringing them into our fold?" Constantly being on the lookout for talent is a critical variable, I think, particularly in these emerging markets.” -Steve Case
What's wrong with leaders today?
Unlike Mr. Case it seems as if leaders have forgotten that they have to work. They have to put the time in. "Nothing ventured; nothing gained", right? Who said that leadership is somehow a free ride to success?
Let’s face it, there’s so much more to developing and moving forward with a winning team than having a title and some office space. Leaders must be willing and able to commit a staggering amount of time honing their skills, as both excellent recruiters and brilliant communicators. Maintaining both of these skills at high levels is foundational to putting forth a team that will achieve unimaginable results consistently.
We all love to see great teams perform; it's like poetry in motion. People are in sync with each other. They anticipate the next obstacle and proactively set about overcoming it with such fluidity, that even the most complex maneuver seems like child’s play. Flexibility is obvious; the shared talent, overwhelming. There are no errors in decisiveness, judgment or tactic. Everyone is playing from the same script and doing it well.
So what does it take from leaders to make this happen? We'll it's simple. All you have to do is follow these six simple concepts:
1. Push together; don’t pull away
I know that you've heard that there is no "I" in team. Well, guess what? There really isn't! As a leader you have to know that you are nothing without the people that commit there blood sweat and tears to the vision and mission that you seek to promote. The minute that you lose sight of that fact and begin to act like it's all about you, you're dead.
2. Pride cometh before the fall
There is absolutely no room for your ego. Get rid of it. It will be the death of you and your team. Appoint each one of the members on the team to be your "ego police." Any time you use the word me, I or mine within any of their earshot, give them permission to charge you $100. They're going to need that money to pay for the counseling sessions needed after dealing with you.
3. Leave room for everyone to create
I know and believe that leaders must firmly guide and direct but, you need everyone to be a part of the creative process when it comes to setting the vision and mission of the team. No matter how you slice it, people row harder when they are entrusted with creating the ship. If leaders don't get this kind of buy-in up front then they'll have to spend most of their time trying to convince team members to get on board. When this happens, execution becomes a secondary not primary activity. I'm sure that you can see where this get's you. You're dead....oops, I already said that.
4. Don’t be afraid of success
I've seen leaders shy away from recruiting extremely talented people to their teams! They've got tons of weak excuses for this nonsensical behavior. The fact is, a team of misfits has never won a national championship of any type. You need winners to win! Your essential responsibility as a leader is to put the best players on the field. Notice I didn't say, the best that you can find, I said the best "PERIOD!" If this is hard for you to grasp, go back to #2.
5. No wasted talent allowed
Shame on you, if you don't know what each member of your team is capable of. You've got to challenge them to reach ever higher stretch goals if you want them to keep giving their best effort. once you become aware that a member of your team is gifted in some area, waste no time getting them an assignment to perform and then lead the cheer-leading squad when they strut their stuff.
Remember that we all suffer from a little bit of attention deficit; meaning we don't get enough of it. Give your team members all of the glory that you can, right now. They'll never get tired of you.
6. Death to redundancy
It is NOT true that competition makes your team stronger. If you have people that essentially have the same job and are responsible for the exact same activity day in and day out, they will not bring their "A" game consistently. They won't feel special, trusted or even appreciated. In fact, they'll quickly start to see themselves as irrelevant and unnecessary. I mean, "if this guy can do my job, what am I here for?"
The tendency for leaders to want to cover their bases and make sure that tasks actually get done usually makes performance suffer, because no one actually feels totally responsible. It won't take people long to realize that the ship will just keep on going without their effort. This is why huge organizations suffer from so much inefficiency.
Ok, I know that all of this is much easier to say than to do but consider this. When you can embrace all of these ideas, people will like working with you, they'll give their very best for you and you'll never have to watch your back again. Wouldn't that be nice?
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Thanks for your attention :-)!!!
-Coach Powell