“When I think of who my core team members are, I listen to my inner voice. Those with consistently reliable output, not episodic, and a positive, supportive attitude, they embody the core of my team. They are responsible for themselves and they have a positive effect on others. Give me a team in which even 50 percent fit the above description – and I will move mountains!”
Davis Holloway
In an effort to better leverage a limited resource (your influence energies and time) my last blog outlined the foundational concept of freeing yourself of ‘problem’ situations. You now have the mental shelf space to focus development on the core of your team…the massive majority that will give you the greatest return. But, how do you identify the players?
Keep two key strategies front and center:
- Understand your KPMs – the ‘Key Personal Metrics’ that reflect the performance growth, effort and contribution that you treasure. Look at the product of their work. Core members produce, and their output is measurable (if it isn’t, you’re likely headed for another problem). It’s not always numbers either; it might be the quality of the people they hire, or how they turnaround and deliver on their promises. It might be just the nature of what you hear others say, and this leads me to a final reflective KPM that connotes a core team member, what some of us call disproportionate influence. Your core team members are people that other people go to. They attract, not repel. Though their job title or pay grade might not reflect it, others go to them because they are strong at what they do, and they are respected for it. All told, it’s about performance output and personal impact – and the keen desire to learn and continue to add value. What you are doing now is just applying your expectations to those you already have in place. Standards and consistency are central to a team’s core, and there’s no time like the present.
- Value-Test Your Roles – clearly, everyone is created equal. Clearly obvious too is the evidence that would suggest that not every role is created equal. In other words, not every role drives the same type of value, and this is another exercise in personal expectations setting. First, identify the roles that really drive heavy value and generate wealth, and then articulate the secondary roles that truly protect that wealth. Team members that deliver one or both of the above, either wealth generation or protection, are the core of your team. Members that offer neither may not be the right targets for your influence energies.
In summary, this is what stands out at the top of your curve – the core of your team; output, measurability, adaptability, interpersonal impact and proximity to the particular brand of ‘wealth’ your team is responsible for. If you want to create capacity without headcount, stop spending your energies at the ends of the bell curve. Target your influence here and start leading at the top of the curve.
