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BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL TEAM by Jim Rohn
Once you've set a goal for yourself as a leader-whether it is to create
your own enterprise, energize your organization, build a church, or
excel in sports - the challenge is to find good people to help you
accomplish that goal. Gathering a successful team of people is not only
helpful it's necessary.
So to guide you in this daunting task of picking the right people, I'm
going to share with you a four-part checklist.
Number One: Check each candidate's history. Seek out available
information regarding the individual's qualifications to do the job. That's the
most obvious step.
Number Two: Check the person's interest level. If they are interested,
they are probably a good prospect. Sometimes people can fake their
interest, but if you've been a leader for a while, you will be a capable
judge of whether somebody is merely pretending. Arrange face-to-face
conversation, and try to gauge his or her sincerity to the best of your
ability. You won't hit the bull's-eye every time, but you can get pretty
good at spotting what I call true interest.
Number Three: Check the prospect's responses. A response tells you a
lot about someone's integrity, character, and skills. Listen for
responses like these: "You want me to get there that early?" "You want me to
stay that late?" "The break is only ten minutes?" "I'll have to work two
evenings a week and Saturdays?" You can't ignore these clues. A
person's responses are a good indication of his or her character and of how
hard he or she will work. Our attitudes reflect our inner selves, so even
if we can fool others for a while, eventually, our true selves will
emerge.
And Number Four: Check results. The name of the game is results. How
else can we effectively judge an individual's performance? The final
judge must be results.
There are two types of results to look for. The first is activity
results. Specific results are a reflection of an individual's productivity.
Sometimes we don't ask for this type of result right away, but it's
pretty easy to check activity. If you work for a sales organization and
you've asked your new salesman, John, to make ten calls in the first
week, it's simple to check his results on Friday. You say, "John, how many
calls did you make?" John says, "Well . . ." and starts telling a
story, making an excuse. You respond, "John, I just need a number from one
to ten." If his results that first week are not good, it is a definite
sign. You might try another week, but if that lack of precise activity
continues, you'll soon realize that John isn't capable of becoming a
member of your team.
The second area you need to monitor is productivity. The ultimate test
of a quality team is measurable progress in a reasonable amount of
time. And here's one of the skills of leadership: be up front with your
team as to what you expect them to produce. Don't let the surprises come
later.
When you're following this four-part checklist, your instincts
obviously play a major role. And your instincts will improve every time you go
through the process. Remember, building a good team will be one of your
most challenging tasks as a leader. It will reap you multiple rewards
for a long time to come.
To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
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