When It Comes to A Team; Quantity Does Not Equal Success

When your organization has an issue, do you tend to “throw people at it” thinking that desired results will come with large numbers?  Often teams are thrown together hoping that more is better and this guarantees the desired result.  

One of the strategies I use when working with managers is the concept of RP².  

Do you have the right people in the right place?  For example, if you are trying to increase sales you could benefit by equipping the team with product development people. Likewise, if the sales team knows what customers are buying, you could benefit by having their input on the product development team.  Another mistake some teams make is to have a strategy session and only invite idea people and no implementers.

If we take people and put them together without reviewing what talent is available and what the needs are to reach the goals, the team will have a difficult time achieving high performance. They may get results, but they may not be “great” results.  As the manager, team champion or team leader, you also have to have the courage to remove people from the team if they don’t “fit” the mission. 

Action: Interview each potential team member, determine their strengths and weakness and make sure what they add lines up with what the team has to accomplish.  What did you learn when you applied this strategy?  

To your success, Stephanie  

In our last post we discussed the first 3 pillars for success as shoot for the stars.  Let’s continue our discussion. 

Pillar 4: Encourage “fresh thinking” with your staff.
Discuss where you want to take the organization and let staff create actions to achieve goal.

Pillar 5: Encourage self evaluation and personal goal setting
During the employee goal setting or employee development strategy session, make the requirement that one of the goals be related to personal effectiveness. Allow them to own the goal.   The E-LifePlan system is the ideal tool to compliment performance planning and goal setting for superstars.   

Pillar 6: Give staff the opportunity to make leadership decisions and support their leadership learning journey.  Leaders are made, prepared and equipped. How do you become a leader without having experience to understand your style?As you set out on your journey to shoot for the stars, remember to get out of the light. Some leaders have difficulty in allowing their “stars” to shine. As a leader of purpose, power and passion, your mission is to create “stars” that shine brighter than you.  

Until next time,  Stephanie

Shoot for the Stars: Create Superstars Part 1

A foundational element of the Ready, Set, Engage Path is creating an organization of people in the right place doing the right job.  This doesn’t come by accident; it is premeditated.  The first step is deciding to shoot for the stars. So what do you do after you have decided to create an organization of superstars that is envied by peers and clients?  Create a plan to get there.   In designing your superstar team, there are six pillars for success.  Successfully implementing these strategies positions you for triumph on the Ready, Set, Engage Path. We will just look at three of them in this post.        

Pillar 1: Develop a process for mentoring new members of your organization.
Even if people have been in the organization for years; establish a weekly schedule to meet with them. This allows one-on-one communication of the mission statement and your expectations. 

Pillar 2: Utilize expertise acquired by staff members expertise acquired in previous positions. Have them be the mentor for that subject area both internal to your department and other departments.  This strategy allows people to continue to use acquired skill and starts to create an organization of leaders. 

Pillar 3: Find ways to creative positive exposure for staff.
As a leader part of your responsibility is to market your employees so they are seen as a valuable asset beyond your “four walls”.

 

Until next time,  Stephanie

 

The Ready, Set, Engage Path™ as introduced in my book, Ready, Set, Engage™, is one of leadership mastery, organizational alignment, team engagement and customer connection. You cannot have a successful business without the interconnection of these elements.  In this post, the focus is on customer connection.  Peter Drucker, management consultant helped clarify the idea of a profit center when he said, “The only profit center is the customer.”  I have to admit in my early days of customer partnerships, I could have been heard saying, “if only we could just manage the customer relationship.”  As a customer on the other hand, I don’t want to be managed, I want an experience.  

Customer relationship management SPEAKS - How can your company “work” the customer relationship to meet “your” internal organizational goals?   

Customer experience management LISTENS: How can your company help the customer achieve their goals while creating positive customer experiences?   

Positive customer experiences create engaged, connected, loyal customers. Loyal customers = Profit in the Profit Center. 

Action:  Create a “Make Their Day” journal and come up with ways to create positive, unique, customer experiences for your customers.  

Compare what it takes to be a legacy leader to gears in motion.  Each talent, skill, mastery, attribute and success building on the other to create possibilities.  The right blend of movement for the desired result is Synergistic Leadership.  As a Synergistic Leader you will continuously turn the gears of leadership mastery, organizational alignment, team engagement, and customer connection. It will take courage, heart, energy, and humor, imperfection and willingness to discover who you are.  It will take you striving to bring out the best in your team and your customers.  It will be both a journey and a destination. 

Until next time,

Stephanie

www.ReadySetEngage.com