An Effective Team is Rarely a Random Occurrence.
Yes, occasionally it can happen. The perfectly matched small group of people come together to accomplish something substantial. For example…
Oh sorry, I can’t think of one. But I’m sure it happens!!!
You surely don’t want to leave team building up to chance and you definitely want to be as accurate as possible when recruiting for your team, because the cost of bringing on the wrong person can be exorbitant in many ways. It really doesn’t matter what kind of business you are recruiting for; these three things will help.
It’s Okay to Fall in Love With Looks, But Marry Character.
I don’t know where I heard that, but it is spot on for the first and most important quality to consider. “Looks” of course are in the eye of the beholder, and from a prospective team member standpoint are typically machinated to the max.
The resume/cv detailing all the wonderful attributes represents “looks.” The perfectly tailored and well put together appearance, along with the practiced interview responses, represent “looks.” You do not want to hire/recruit (marry) based on this surface and choreographed view. This is too important. This is why you want to take your time on this.
So what do you do to dig beneath the surface?
Change the dialogue and do some research.
As to the dialogue, ask them questions that are about their life experiences, mistakes, struggles, failures. Character is cultivated through these things. Throw in an ethical dilemma and see what they have to say about it.
Research is a little tougher depending on their diligence. References are of course going to be glowing on the surface, so make sure you ask questions that are about the hard stuff you ask in the interview/meeting. You can also dig around in social media and learn a lot about how congruent they are in general. Congruence is a big indicator. Are they living a life that matches who they are presenting themselves to be?
Keep in mind that you can teach a skill, but you can’t teach character.
“I am, as I’ve said, merely competent. But in an age of incompetence, that makes me extraordinary.”
This Billy Joel quote represents two parts of the second factor which is competence. You don’t need someone with extraordinary ability in the given area, and be clear about which competencies you are looking for.
Obviously, if you are looking for a home run hitter you aren’t going to recruit a pitcher, so you want someone who has competency in a specific skill area. However, degrees of competence are tied mostly to amount of practice and strength zones. You can take someone with minimum skill and end up with someone who is awesome at the task.
More important are the core competencies that augment the skill. Try to find someone who has had interpersonal and productivity competencies training. These are the skills multipliers. Most people are taught the skill of the job but are operating on a foundation of little to no skill in these critical core competencies.
At minimum, make sure these core competencies are part of your on-going training internally, as this will increase confidence and effectiveness faster than anything else you could possibly do. These are the things I teach in the companies and organizations I train. It makes people substantially better in doing the work while improving the attitudes and environment.
I Believe Down to My Core That We are All Designed to Fit Together…
The third piece of the equation is “Fit.” There are two sides to the fit coin. Culture and skill set. My statement about fit together is my global view of the world. We are all unique and different and being our best versions of our unique self and pursuing life in our strength zones and areas of calling is how we are supposed to serve the greater good.
When it comes to your team, “Fit-in” is about culture and “Fit-together” is about diversity of skill and perspective. You need both for it to work. If you hire the skill fit, but the person is arrogant and closed-minded, you won’t have the culture fit and you will cause more damage than any amount of skill is worth.
If you have been diligent on the character piece, you will tend to be trending in the right direction for the culture side of the fit. To further investigate, have the new prospect meet with/talk to some of the team so as to get their impression.
The skill fit is a little easier to judge, so try to focus on the perspective side. Look for people that have varying backgrounds and life experiences such that you get alternate perspectives on issues.
Building a team isn’t an exact science because it’s all about people and human beings aren’t exact or perfect in any way. Follow this recipe and you will be closer to hitting the mark more frequently. If you liked this please share it with others who are in a leadership position.
This video is specifically for those of you building a sales organization and is much more focused on the character side.
If you need some Coaching, or Training for your organization, reach out to me.
Many Blessings, Todd
P.S. Getting the right nutrients for your body to function at it’s best is vital to a good life. In this video, I share insight into many of the challenges that are causing people to struggle with their health and energy, and then I share one of my secret weapons that I have used for 21 years. If you’d like to know more, shoot me a message. How to Manage Your Health Risk
