Picking Your Team

Global Leadership Summit, Patrick Lencioni presented the concepts from his newest book, Ideal Team Player (which I blogged about previously). He closed with an illustration from a recent NFL draft. Two high-profile quarterbacks (you can guess who) were potential first-round picks. Both had great success in college. One was considered slightly better on a number of physical attributes, while the other was clearly more of a team player. It was the former who was drafted much higher, a decision that has turned out to be a disaster. I see this story over and over in the churches and non-profits that I encounter. They hire someone based primarily on a resume, and give little credence to whether the person is a team player. Why does this happen so frequently? The number one reason is that these organizations are desperate to find someone who can make a big difference and who can do so quickly. The “superstar” with an apparent record of success is just too good to pass up. In addition, teamwork is a softer quality that is harder to evaluate. Perhaps if we spent more time thinking about the benefits of hiring team players, we’d be less desperate and more willing to dig deep to look for this quality. Here are four reasons to emphasize teamwork in the selection process:

• Team players raise the effectiveness of the entire team. Perhaps you’d assess the person as a B+ individually (based on her resume), but if she raises an entire team from a B to an A, think how much more effective the organization will be.
• Team players also raise productivity. People are glad to come to work and put in extra hours in a positive environment. It’s amazing how much one person can improve morale, and it’s distressing how much one person can poison the atmosphere.
• Similarly, team players tend to defuse tense situations. They soften conflict and work toward positive resolution, whereas non-team players often exacerbate the problem.
• The most important challenges require collaboration beyond normal departmental lines, and team players naturally foster this. They’re less concerned about individual recognition and more concerned about accomplishing the mission.

If that’s not enough to convince you, let me point out one more cost. Non-team players will always cause more stress and headaches for senior leaders who find themselves putting out the fires that have been set by their “superstars.” In thinking about team players, one other distinction is important. A person can be a great team leader (for his own team) and yet not be a good team player on the executive team. When assessing a person’s teamwork, don’t neglect the latter. Jim Collins is famous for saying that great organizations “get the right people on the bus.” Patrick Lencioni helps define what those “right people” look like. What changes do you need to make to build a stronger had healthier team? It’s easy to receive my blogs by email. Just sign-up on Feedburner by clicking here.]]>