How to Build a Superstar Team

I would like to start with a question, “Which is better a team of superstars or a superstar team?”

Easy really, a superstar team will outperform a team of superstars, week in week out. Just imagine what difference having a superstar team would mean to your business results and to you personally. 

Here are five questions you need to ask yourself and more importantly act upon, to build a superstar team in your business.

1. Have you got the right people?

There are times in business that we sometimes make a mistake with our recruitment process. The urgent needs of the moment tend to overtake us.

The person sat across the table, although they wouldn’t be your first choice if you had more people to choose from,  you make do!

If you had the opportunity (and with hindsight) to sack all your team today, how many would you re-employ tomorrow? Having asked that question of hundreds of business owners, I am yet to meet one that would re-employ everybody, which begs the questions “why are you prepared to put up with that?”  Have you ever asked someone to leave, go and be successful somewhere else and then think to yourself, “I wish I had done that earlier!”

A lesson I was given by my Dad very early in my business career was ‘Hire slow, fire fast.’ When I applied that lesson in my businesses, I had far greater success than in the occasional instance when where I allowed urgency to cloud my judgement. In our workshop next week, one concept we will be covering is the 5 Dysfunctions of a Team. The foundational dysfunction is a lack of trust and without trust you will never build a superstar team. Ask yourself, “What effect does hiring the wrong person have on the wider team in terms of trust?”

In order for you to hire the right people for your team and your business, you really need to be clear on just what does that person look like? What traits, characteristics and skills does the person require? In most recruitment processes, the number one goal is to get someone with the right skills, a superstar; the challenge is that if they are not the right fit for your team in terms of attitude, it will NEVER work. I have emphasised NEVER because, time and time again, I have heard numerous business owners say, “We are going to give them the opportunity to change…” I have never yet seen that one have a successful outcome and to compound matters, due to the lack of trust, there is the possibility that whilst you wait for your superstar to change, you could lose people who are a good fit!

      2.   What motivates your team members?

For most business owners the belief is that their team are motivated by just one thing: Money! It just isn’t true. It is a factor, that’s for sure and, yet, up and down the country, you will find unhappy well-paid employees. How much more productive are people when they are happy, find their work interesting, are given recognition, have a career path, gain fulfilment?

How do you know what motivates your people? Ask them! What are they looking for in their job? Why do they come to work? What would they change if they could?

 3.  Are your team clear on their roles and responsibilities?

Ever turned up for your first day in a new job and been pointed in the direction of your desk, shown your computer or workstation, given some tasks to get on with and told any problems you can find me in that room over there. How well does that work?

A better way for this to be done is to have a clear induction process within your business. A great induction system may include:

• An introductory meeting with the MD explaining the vision, goals, values/culture of the business.
• Set clear commitments. What you will expect from them and what can they expect from you.
• Have a clear description of their roles and responsibilities and assign a buddy to whom they will be accountable during their induction period (Accountability is the fourth layer in the 5 Dysfunctions model).
• It is really strange how we celebrate when someone leaves our team to go and work for somebody else. How about we flip that one and celebrate when someone joins the team by having a welcoming party.
• Constantly check in with them and how they are progressing, what else do they need to make their induction run smoothly?

  

4.  Do you have an ongoing training system in place?

What if I train my people and they leave?

What if you fail to train them and they stay?

Ouch!!

One of the main differentiators in business is knowledge, ‘the more you know the further you go.’ Yet, one of the first things that tends to be put to one side because of urgent other stuff (for instance, costs) is training.

The more knowledge your people have the better job they are able to do and the more productive they will be. So what kind of ongoing training programme have you got in place? More importantly what processes have you got in place to make sure the training is applied? Again, we are looking at accountability

5.  What kind of environment do you provide?

Whilst it is important to make sure the environment you provide is aesthetically pleasing, furniture, equipment, IT etc., other factors you might want to provide are:

• Team building events
• Flexible hours
• A chill out room
• A process in place to celebrate wins
• Education support
• Suggestion box with rewards
• Bonus scheme
• A pat on the back
• Quality drinks facilities
• A process for getting the team involved in the numbers. Do your people understand the effect they have on these?
• A clear accountability system.
• Open and honest communication
• A system in place for equipment repairs

This list is by no means exhaustive and if you have more great ideas to share, drop me a line.

If you want a superstar business, you need a superstar team applying the above ideas will make sure you build one.

If you'd like to know more about building your superstar team join us on Friday 20th February for a half day workshop 

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-to-build-a-team-culture-that-inspires-motivates-thrives-tickets-15300934507?aff=ehomesaved

Dedicated to your success

Kevin
Business Performance Coach



If you would like to explore the possibility of working with Kevin or Susan as your Business/Executive Coach or would like some training for team simply drop us an email at info@mpcforprofit.com or call the office on 0151 348 1202 and we can pop a date in the diary for a coffee and a chat that just might Grow your profit, Transform your business and Change your life.