You may recall the movie, The Blind Side, based on the true life story of Michael Oher. One of the most compelling dialogues in the movie was this:
Coach Cotton: “What did you say to him?”
Sandra Bullock (as Leigh Anne Tuohy): “You should get to know your players, Bert. He tested 98 percent in protective instincts.”
When Coach Cotton finally realized Michael’s motivation, and Michael learned to apply his strengths, the rest is history.
As a leader, this is your main job description: Know your players.
The fact is, teams working together well create massive success. They set records. They draw crowds. They create income.
Your job as a leader is not to do all the work; it is to create a team of individuals who are each uniquely equipped to do a job well.
When you have individuals working in their best strengths, and you put these complementary strengths together as a team, you have an unstoppable force.
How can you create your winning team?
Determine the Roles That Need to be Filled in Your Organization
This is important for every business, including startups. Create an organizational chart even before you begin that shows the roles needed in your business to get the work done. Starting out, the chart may show your name on most roles. Your goal should be to grow the business, and start filling those roles with complementary strengths as quickly as possible.
In an established organization, review your current organizational chart to ensure you have the roles well defined.
Create Job Descriptions for Each Role
In new business, there is a tendency to find the person first and then find work for that person. This approach brings inherent and often unfortunate consequences, as you may have the right people but in wrong roles.
Define the job first.
In an established organization, take time to review job descriptions periodically. Business and technology changes may affect how they should be structured. Be sure these are up to date. This ensures expectations and needs are clearly outlined.
For each job description, add a section called “Strengths Needed” and define those strengths.
Match Person to Strengths to Job in Order to Fill Roles
You have a great pool of candidates for a position. How do you determine the best fit?
Do yourself and them a favor…match the person, with his or her best strengths, to the job that fits them best. In doing this, you have gone 90% of the way to paving the path to success and ensuring the role is filled by someone who is the best fit for it.
When your employees work in their strengths at least 70% of the time, it creates a level of success that exceeds the norms. Not only that, this will create employees who are excited to come to work and help reach the goals of the organization.
For additional resources on determining and mapping the strengths of your team, click here.
As the CEO of Strength Leader Development, Deb Ingino is a highly sought-after international executive mentor, coach, trainer and speaker. Deb is well versed in global business operations and helps business leaders and their teams to discover and leverage their strengths, so they can create highly collaborative teams that deliver great results. With a refreshingly direct style, Deb helps leaders and their teams to deliver profitable results. Connect with Deb to learn more about her mentorship and coaching programs to equip you with advanced strategies to elevate your results.
+ view comments . . .