Before I ‘roll up my sleeves’ and ‘dive in’ with my teams that I work with, I like to often ask: If you had to choose, would you rather have an A+ team or an A+ strategy? Nine times out of 10, people choose an A+ team. After all, what good is a dynamite strategy if you don’t have the talent to execute?
But let’s be clear. Both top talent and a winning strategy are both VITAL components for sustainable success. In today’s hypercompetitive world, you may achieve early success with one or the other but you won’t maintain it without emphasis on both elements.
We’ve All Been There Where Talented Teams Compensate for Mediocre Strategy, and Vice-Versa
Working with literally hundreds of teams at all levels throughout companies, I’ve personally been part of an A+ team that has ‘knocked it out of the park,’ with stellar business results and overall performance, all while operating with a C+ strategy. By the same token, I’ve also been involved with teams that had A+ strategies, but that delivered lackluster results because of their C+ talent.
Now let me tell you . . . it’s MUCH harder to convert a C+ team into an A+ team than it is to convert a C+ strategy to an A+ strategy. As you’ve often heard me preach, people complicate everything! There are just so many different variables that go into ‘streamlining’ the right talent, behavior, and attitudes that go into creating an A+ team.
So here’s a few critical guidelines that I use when helping organizations quickly and objectively size up their teams. The goal is to determine if you have the right team members and leaders in place to deliver on your strategy. At the same time, you must have the courage to ‘do whatever you need to do’ as a leader to optimize your team if you realize there are deficiencies.
6 Guidelines to Assess Your Talent and Their “Right” Fit (or maybe not) for the Team
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- Is EACH team member in the ‘right role’ on the team? ‘Right’ means based on the expected ‘competency’ and leadership capability. Do you need a ‘tactical’ person in the role or a ‘strategic’ person in the role? Is this person supposed to ‘lead’ or is the person supposed to ‘support?’ How well are your team members performing overall? Objectively measure your team members and make sure they ‘properly’ fit onto your team.
- Is everyone clear on what their contribution is to the team and to the project? It sounds trivial, but I’ve been involved in many situations where there can be ‘too many cooks in the kitchen.’ Either too many people are doing the same work or there is stagnation because no one can make a decision.
- Do you know who the executive decision makers are on the team? During times of ‘impasse,’ where there just seems to be a high degree of misalignment, does the team know who CLEARLY owns the executive decision? I don’t believe anyone intentionally has ‘ill-will,’ but let’s face it, everyone has biases and preferences. There will be points of disagreement on any project, and it’s often the executive decision maker that needs to calibrate during those times.
- Do team members ‘like’ and ‘respect’ each other? I don’t care how competent and capable your team might be. If they don’t like and respect each other, you DO NOT HAVE AN A+ team! Just look at professional sports teams as an example. The best of the best teams have quality talent but still can’t get the job done. Whether you love ‘em or hate ‘em, you have to admit the Cleveland Cavs made a bold mid-season decision to drastically overhaul their team members to improve performance. It was just ‘talent’ that was the issue, it was lack of overall ‘respect’ for one another that caused the ‘moves.’
- Are your team members empowered or constrained? You’ve spent all this time assembling your A+ team but are you allowing them to do the work and own it? Or are you constraining them because you are a ‘control freak?’ It sounds cold but it’s true. A+ teams only become A+ teams when they are allowed to flourish and own their work and role!
- Are you adding A+ team members AND removing lower performers? Ideally, you would like to assemble an A+ team the FIRST time around. Realistically, that’s not likely. You will ‘miss’ in some areas. But there is no way to know unless you’ve had time to execute and get feedback. The MOST important thing, however, is what you do with the feedback. Do you act on it if things need to change or do you keep on going down the same path? It is critical to always be adjusting and that includes objectively determining who needs to be added and, in extreme cases, removed from your team.
The above are powerful thought-starters to building your A+ team. But, before I close, I’m sure you’re wondering. Which would I choose: an A+ Team or an A+ Strategy? Hands-down, an A+ Team!
But if you’re not fortunate enough to have such a team in place, you know how to find me should you need some organizational leadership guidance. And you can check out some of the programs I offer below. They could be just what the doctor ordered.
About Rubi Ho
Rubi Ho is an expert in Leadership and Management Consulting. The SAOL™ Methodology that he personally created is about helping Organizations, Teams and Leaders drive results, unity and alignment, and overall performance throughout all levels of a company!
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