Building A Winning Team

Building A Winning Team

Early sports behavior reflected in today's worker

 

Now that Fall is here, many of us are celebrating the start of football season. And whether you're talking about high school, college or professional level football (or any other sport), all teams are a mix of different types of players. Some act selflessly, putting the team as top priority, others are selfish, only concerned with their own performance and recognition.

 

You've probably noticed that these same team dynamics apply in the business world. What you may not realize is that each person's work style was likely greatly influenced and developed by those early sports experiences. You can probably identify which of your colleagues were teammates who "hogged the ball" or were sore losers. And you can just as easily distinguish those who were likely great team players, putting the team before individual recognition.

 

If you are responsible for any type of hiring or employee performance evaluations, you know how important (and how difficult) it is to identify and hire good teammates.

 

Following are some key characteristics of a team player that can be observed on both the playing field and in the workplace:

 

1. Adaptability

Adjust behavior and attitude to accommodate changing circumstances. Continue to function effectively during times of change.

 

2. Competitive Drive

Have a strong desire to win and excel. Set challenging goals and work aggressively to achieve them.

 

3. Conflict Management

Encourage and facilitate an environment for the constructive handling of disagreements. Pinpoint the conflict source and resolve issues. Reward and reinforce cooperative behavior from others.

 

4. Decisiveness

Confident, make good decisions in a timely manner and stand by those decisions despite opposition. Remain calm and think clearly. Quickly make good decisions in emergency or stressful situations.

 

5. Empowering Others

Assign responsibilities and decison-makings in a way that makes people responsible for results. Encourage others to take on new challenges and provide sufficient resources to assist with achieving their goals.

 

6. Initiative

Proactive rather than reactive, both in thought and action. Self-starter - don't wait for direction from others. Seek opportunities for continuous learning to expand their role and increase contribution on the job.

 

7. Integrity

Possess principles and values that guide them to behave in a fair and honest manner. Demonstrate sound business ethics. Step forward to take a stand for what is right when made aware of unethical behavior by others.

 

8. Ownership

Take responsibility for their actions and the consequences that result from those actions. Refrain from making excuses for failures and from blaming others for mistakes.

 

9. Problem Solving

Generate unique solutions to problems. Effectively resolve issues that involve people, things and processes by using logic and common sense. Identify the cause of a problem, not focus on the symptoms.

 

10. Self Awareness

Recognize and manage their own emotions, strengths, weaknesses and values. Actively seek and use feedback from others regarding their performance.

 

11. Teamwork

Cooperate and work effectively with others in the pursuit of common goals.

 

These competencies are usually found in the ideal employee profile, however, most teams consist of 3 categories of individuals: Builders, Cutters & Maintainers. Basically, Builders possess the above traits and Cutters do not.

 

Maintainers are those that perform their job consistently but lack the motivation to provide stellar performance. Follow these 3 steps to ensure that your organization has the right mix of players:

 

a) First, identify and terminate Cutters. While not always considered politically correct, it's the most important step you can take toward a more effective and profitable workforce.

 

b) Next, hire more Builders (and retain those that you already have). They are your most important resource and should be treated accordingly.

 

c) Finally, maintain your Maintainers. This is the largest category in most organizations. Just as you can't have a team full of captains, the same applies to a company - Maintainers may not be superstars, but they are still an asset.

 

So the next time you're watching a group of children or young adults playing on a team, imagine how each will contribute (or not) to the workforce in the near future!

 

 

[Source: Select International]