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Posts tagged Building A-Player Teams
Check out Auren Hoffman, Summation, on A-players
Auren Hoffman writes the blog Summation. Take a look at one of his not-so-distant posts on A-players: http://blog.summation.net/2009/10/common-traits-of-aplayers.html
He makes a number of good points, including:
The A-player janitor: As Auren points out, you don’t need a Harvard MBA to qualify as an A-player, and every role in your organization can be filled with a superior performer. So, I would ask you: what is the A-player profile for a janitor? If you were going to hire a truly superior person to fill that role,what results would demonstrate superior performance and A-player status?
Relentlessly resourceful: A-players in general know how to get things done. They don’t settle for results that are easily obtainable with current resources. They leverage what they have and find new ways to achieve results that go beyond what most other people are achieving.
Getting back to people: I think this is a great point – many highly effective people are incredible at following up and following through. They “close the loop” with people. They write a note to say thank you. They get back to others quickly. I wonder if this is not in part driven by the fact that very successful people often recognize that it is relationships and relational capital as much more than technical expertise that creates success.
More good points in this article, worth your time to take a look.
Know Your A-Player Profile
Earl Weaver, former manager of the Baltimore Orioles, has nothing but contempt for modern day baseball philosophy that emphasizes statistical analysis to manage games. Weaver’s philosophy (minus the expletives) is simple: get the strongest players you can and have them hit the ball out of the park. You can read the article from Sports Illustrated, July 13, 2009, here http://bit.ly/7Y5qdI
I recently talked to the president of a marketing business who told me that he wants to double the number of “homerun hitters” that he has in his organization. He wants people who can anticipate problems, see opportunities, and create solutions that serve customers. Another way of saying this is that the most valuable people in his business are those who know how to create solutions for customers and who can lead other employees to be a part of that process.
If you want to increase the number of strong leaders and performers in your company, here are two points to consider:
Every position has a combination of technical skills and behavioral skills required to qualify as an A-Player. What is the A-Player profile for key roles in your company? Don’t assume that people “will know an A-Player when they meet one.” They won’t. Or, worse, every person involved in the hiring process will have a different picture of what it means to be an A-player. Get everyone on the same page regarding this A-Player Profile so you can put on a big push to find and hire the best people.
In addition, not all employees are created equally. You should be investing your time with the A-players you already employ. Keep track of how much time you spend with your A players versus your problem children employees. Don’t spend too much time trying to solve problems for your average to poor performers while neglecting your best people. Your best employees don’t need their hands held. They do need you to provide them with the training and resources necessary to be successful. When you spend your time putting out fires for weaker performers, you do exactly that – spend your time. The only return you get is a resolved problem that should have been taken care of by someone else. However, when you invest your time with A-players, you give your best people the time and attention they need to do their jobs better. They take on even more responsibility and you fulfill one of your priorities – building an organization that has greater capacity to create value for customers and generate strong financial results in the process.
A-Players Want to Have an Impact
A-Players want to make money, yes, but typically they want to do more – they want to leave their mark and have an impact on an organization. They have good ideas. They don’t just want their ideas heard. They want the resources and the freedom to implement those ideas and make a difference.
The New York Times ran an article about a year ago where this dynamic was discussed. People move from Google to Facebook and from Facebook to the “next big thing” because they want to hit it big financially, but also because the vibrant, flexible company they joined has become so huge that they can’t have (or at least don’t think they can have) the impact they once did.
What’s the implication for your business? You have to both be and perceived to be a place where great people can make their mark. A-players don’t want to hide behind bureaucracy. They want direct access to people who can “green light” their projects. They want to be included in your inner circle. They want freedom to try new things.
The time to think about assembling your dream team is now, before the economy heats up. Who are the handful of individuals you want to attract and hire to your business? How can you provide them with the environment they want to give them the money they need and the chance to make a big IMPACT?
See “Another Difficulty for a Microsoft-Yahoo Marriage: Recruiting,” Published: February 4, 2008
Building a Farm Team in a Down Economy
In a recent talk to Philadelphia executives, I explained how to build a “farm team” of strong potential employees. Farm team is a baseball term. Every major league baseball team has multiple minor league teams made up of players ready to be called up to the big leagues with little notice. In business, a farm team is your active list of strong performers who currently work for someone else but could be enticed to work for you if the offer is right. By taking the initiative to find and interview these people now, you build your own farm team of strong potential employees.
After the talk, a banker came up to me and said, “I am going to implement this farm team idea immediately. I get phone calls every day from job hunters, and I have been telling them that we are not hiring. Now I am going to tell them that we are not hiring right now, but I want to interview them anyway.”
Performance Principle: A bad economy is a great time to build your own farm team. In the midst of short-term pressures, take the time to interview and network. Here are some specific payoffs from building your own farm team right now:
1. Good people are available in bad times. Great performers shake loose in times like these. Now is the time to make connections with these people even if you don’t hire them immediately. Joel Spolsky in his book Smart & Gets Things Done estimates that one truly gifted computer programmer is worth at least five times as much as a competent programmer. The ratios may be slightly different in your business, but the principle holds fast across all companies and industries. If your interviewing yields just one terrific person, it is worth it.
2. Interviewing does not necessarily mean hiring. You are not making a commitment to hire anyone; you are simply meeting with them for an initial interview. The only cost to you is your time, and the investment of time is worth it.
3. Build your own network. Every person you interview today is someone that you add to your own network. If you treat people with respect and stay in touch, that relationship may well be valuable whether or not you hire the person.
4. Market intelligence. Having a regular schedule of interviews keeps you apprised of what is going on in the marketplace. Building your farm team makes you more intelligent about your marketplace and better connected within it.
5. Confidence to deal with poor performers. One of the primary reasons that managers don’t confront poor performers is that they do not have anyone to take their place. If your executives and managers have active candidates who can fill positions in their departments, they will be more willing and able to deal quickly and directly with sub-par performance.
Until next month,
Eric
Simple Steps for Coaching A-Players
Here are three simple steps you can take to retain your A-player employees and get the best results from them:
1. Take time to discuss individual goals. Employees, particularly younger employees, are hungry for mentoring. Taking the time to have lunch with a high-value employee and listen to their goals can help that person feel valued. Make an effort to help that person achieve his or her goals. I have seen this make a big difference in the attitude and morale of key people on a staff.
2. Make people feel like insiders. The best bosses will often call someone into their office to share important information. They make their best employees feel important by sharing important information with them in an appropriate way.
3. Beware trying to be your employees’ buddy. One of the ways to ruin the morale of your staff is to attempt to be their buddy vs. being their boss. People want their boss to act like an adult and take responsibility. If you refuse to do so, your people end up feeling like no one is in charge – and that will always hurt morale.
Leaders vs. Loners
A client of mine recently lost a key manager from his business. This departure coincided with my client’s increased desire to get re-involved in the day-to-day operations of the business. As he got more involved, he realized that many of the employees in the business had great ideas for how things could be done better. But they had been unable or unwilling to step up, speak out, and take responsibility when the former manager was still there. That manager, for all his strengths, had been something of a one-man show. If things needed to get done, he did them. And while this worked well for a while, in the end the other employees were not contributing all they could because they didn’t want to step on his toes.
Performance Principle: There is a difference between a leader and a loner. Leaders draw the best out of other people. Loners, even talented ones, ultimately limit the contributions of the group by focusing on their own efforts. Is your management team made up of leaders or loners?
Here are some points to consider:
- Leaders say we, loners say I. The best leaders take pleasure in the achievements of others. If you have a manager who focuses on his own efforts, remind him that leadership is about encouraging the efforts of others.
- Leaders take people along; loners leave their passenger seat empty. Most of the best teaching and mentoring in business (and life) is informal. Good leaders take their people along with them to meetings, conferences, and presentations. They know that in addition to participating in the session itself, great coaching happens driving to and from meetings or over beer at the hotel after a big presentation.
- Leaders set goals for their people; loners leave people to their own devices. The best employees are always thinking about their own future. If the leaders in your organization do not define goals and career path for these people, you risk losing them. Good leaders are always thinking ahead about the future of their key people.
- Leaders encourage communication, loners squelch it. The last things you need in your organization are fiefdoms and turf fights. Leaders who are secure have no problem with their people communicating freely with others in the organization, including with those at the top. Insecure leaders require all communication to flow through them. Don’t tolerate control-freak behavior from your leaders – it is a sign of weakness not strength.
- Leaders develop successors, loners regard themselves as indispensable. At the brokerage and financial firm Edward Jones, you cannot be considered for a promotion until you have identified internal candidates to take your current job. The best leaders develop other leaders who can fill their shoes. Are your leaders developing other leaders or just developing followers?
