Building a Successful Team

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

Reproduced with permission from Jim Rohn's Weekly E-zine. Copyright 2005 Jim Rohn International. All rights reserved worldwide. To subscribe to Jim Rohn's Weekly E-zine, go to http://Jim-Rohn.InspiresYOU.com

---

Leading To A Preferred Future

Last month's edition of Footprints and Monuments illustrated a parallel... Read More

Why Is Teamwork Training Important?

"When teamwork kicks in, nobody can beat you." Don Shula,... Read More

What College Taught Me About Teamwork Training

I declared a Communications Major two years into school, after... Read More

Feedback - How to Make it Effective

Let's look at the detail of giving feedback. Whether you... Read More

Aligning Teams with Organizational Goals

Teams don't have to be aligned with the goals of... Read More

The Top 7 Things Entrepreneurs Need to Know About Employees

As I work with clients to strengthen their teams and... Read More

How to be Healthier and Happier In Your Organisation

Did you know your work environment can actually make you... Read More

Team Building Part 2: Honesty is the Key!

The second in a series of 2 articles giving a... Read More

Whats the Secret Ingredient That Turns Groups into Teams?

What's the Secret Ingredient That Turns Groups into Teams? Working... Read More

Designing and Deploying Human Centric Processes

A lot of effort has been carried out in the... Read More

You are Excused from Training

Trainers, please picture this... You are presenting in a new... Read More

Franchisee Relations and Team Work

Franchisees of a particular franchise must get along in order... Read More

Top Ten Things About Team Building

People who lead the best teams realise early on that... Read More

General Patton and Leadership

No figure in history is like General Patton. He was... Read More

Business Team Building Strategy In The Jungle

"Tak kenak! Tak kenak!" "Adak Orang sanak!????"The quiet jungle has... Read More

Nine Ways to Contribute to Project Team Success

The world of work has changed. It used to be... Read More

Safety First - Five Reasons to Hold a Routine Safety Meeting

Workplace safety is important to all businesses for ethical, legal... Read More

Book Summary: The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player

A follow-up companion reader to The 17 Indisputable Laws of... Read More

Putting Your Expert Team Together

As a freelance writer myself, I know how important it... Read More

Building High Performing Teams: Putting the I Back in Teamwork

Ever watched a really brilliant idea meet with resistance and... Read More

Building Your Dream Marketing Team

The Fantasy: Your marketing budget is packed to the brim... Read More

Manage Expectations to Reduce Everyday Frustrations

Just today my partner Russ and I sat down to... Read More

WIIFM - Making the Whats In It for Me? Question Work for You

In the constantly changing world of Call Centers, asking agents... Read More

Go On, Be A Tiger

From the moment he putted with Bob Hope on the... Read More

Putting the I in Team

This sports cliche is a memorable phrase that reminds people... Read More

Finding The Leader Within (Keys To Zen Leadership)

Most believe that leadership is an innate quality that some... Read More

Team Building Survey Reveals Clues, Not Answers

Team Building Question:I'm a manager of a team of 20... Read More

Aligning Corporate Teams

Picture yourself entering a corporate meeting, team meeting, or business... Read More

Secrets of Successful Teams

To be a success is not always to be a... Read More

Leadership ? Do The Simple But Important Things

Why do we human beings complicate things? Is it that... Read More

Outdoor Team Development ? Harmless Fun or Serious Learning?

The Sales Director had organised a great conference; the venue... Read More

5 Reason Why Team Has A 4 Figure Income

You are new to Internet Marketing, you join one Affiliate... Read More

How to Turn Idea Squashers into Possibilities

Managing a small business continues to become more challenging. However,... Read More