It has been said that the athletic experience for a coach and their players is a condensed version of life. I was once an athlete and for 20 years was a coach. I earned a master's degree in sports coaching during those 20 years. Based on that experience and education, I fully agree that an athletic season is a condensed version of life.
But...
This post is not about coaching or teams, it is about how to evaluate the members of your team in your industry and how you can lead them accordingly. It's just that, the analogy of an athletic team is perfect. When I was coaching, the interplay of talent, skill development, confidence, attitudes, and a thousand other factors among the team was fascinating and sometimes very frustrating to bring together. I think a great example of how sensitive the 'recipe' of building a team is, is you could have a wildly successful season, bring back almost the entire team including the most important talent, and have an underwhelming follow-up campaign. If the slightest thing changes among team members, the entire outcome of the effort also changes. This is why we so rarely see a champion defend their championship in team sports. The 2021 Tampa Bay Buccaneers brought back their entire starting lineup on offense and defense (22 players) including the greatest quarterback of all time and could not defend their Super Bowl championship. Like I said, fascinating and frustrating.
Building teams in any industry is a lot like building athletic teams. You have to get the mix just right or the whole recipe will stink. And there are a lot of factors you are not in control of that will impact your team. You may not get to choose your team members, a team member may go through a personal tragedy, the market could change the pressure points on your team, and an endless list of other complications will change up the mixture. It is complicated, but my father used to say you have to KISS it. Keep. It. Simple. Stupid. So here's a simple idea on how to evaluate the members of your team for their 'fit'. Evaluate them according to their skill and will. Their skill is their competency and capacity. Are they an expert in their field? Do they have a unique ability to analyze, communicate, or problem-solve? Are they gifted at processes or projects? Or to keep it even simpler, are they flat-out good at what they do? Their will is the desire, hustle, effort, 'all in' attitude, self-awareness, selflessness, and a lot of other things that make someone enjoyable to work with.
So here are some suggestions on how to view team members according to their skills and will and how a leader should interact with them.
HIGH SKILL, HIGH WILL - I am starting off with the most important member a team can have and it is because leaders in almost every industry EXCEPT athletics lead them poorly. These superstars are so good at what they do, that leaders make the mistake of leaving them alone to do their work. This is a critical error as it is a violation of the Pareto principle which states that 80% of consequences come from 20% of effect. Applied to team members, 80% of your results will come from the top 20% of your people. This means that your highest return on leadership efforts will come from spending time with these superstars. Why does a superstar need your help? How do you stay close to them when it looks like they don't need your help? In fact, they might be able to teach you a thing or two. I am glad you asked because I wrote about it! Why do sports coaches NOT make this mistake? Because the scoreboard reminds them that winning and losing will largely be dependent on the highest performers. Sports coaches get accused of a lot of things, but ignoring the superstar is rarely one of those accusations. In that regard, be like a sports coach.
LOW SKILL, HIGH WILL- A leader should be excited to work with this team member. An 'all in' attitude (high will) is a LOT to work with. This individual should be given clear expectations and frequent check-ins. Feedback is the number one external source to improving performance. If someone is all in, give them tons of clear, gracious feedback. They likely have questions on the tip of their tongue all of the time about how they can do better and meet those clearly laid-out expectations. The leader who checks in often will be able to answer all of those questions in a timely fashion. The chances that this team member improves are good and that is a fulfilling experience for both the leader and the individual. Watching an individual receive instruction and go all in on improving and then experiencing the fulfillment of improving is great for culture. Lean in with these folks!
HIGH SKILL, LOW WILL - We have officially entered dangerous waters. High-skill, low-will team members are influencers because they have a productive skill set. The expertise that they operate with may draw admiration from others. They will have influence. It is their low will (selfishness, lack of cooperation, no buy-in, lack of hustle, etc.) that can make them toxic. Because they do produce when they want to, leaders shy away from confrontation fearing that they'll lose a skilled team member. Leaders need to do three things to manage these types of team members: 1) Clarify expectations surrounding will 2) Remind them that you value them, their skill set, and their influence on the group 3) Do not wait long if they can't make a change to their will. If you delay too long, you'll lose a variety of good folks who don't want to be a part of a toxic culture or follow a weak leader.
LOW SKILL, LOW WILL - You know what you do with these folks? You pause and reflect. If expectations are clear and accountability is effectively applied, how are they managing to remain on your team? What is it about you as a leader that is attracting or maintaining the lowest of performers in skill and will? Why haven't you graciously moved them off the team? Low-skill, low-will team members if allowed to remain on the team are a damning judgment of the type of leader you are. Be kind, but don't be long-suffering.
I'd encourage you to do one last thing with this list of skill-will team members. Evaluate yourself. Which category would you fall into? Which category would you like to be in? What do you need to do to upgrade your category? All leaders must lead themselves well first and then they can focus on leading their teams. Building, managing, and leading teams is complicated. But sometimes, we make it too complicated. I hope skill and will help you to keep it simple! (I'll avoid calling you stupid!)
Keep on, keepin' on friends!
*Bonus content: Here are some resources to dig deeper into this idea. 'Radical Candor' by Kim Scott. 'Dare to Serve' by Cheryl Bachelder. 'The Ideal Team Player' by Patrick Lencioni. 'Multipliers' by Liz Wiseman
‘Bite Down and Don’t Let Go’ is a collection of writings on being intentional about life in a way that produces excellent persistence. Read about it more here.
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