The POWER of Building a Great Team

In each organization winning starts with having great people. Each leader needs to be able visualize what they want their team to look like. As you align your players it is crucial that they have the right attitude, solid work experience, great work ethic and most importantly a track record of success. You really need to add people that have been consistent and have sustained performance. This is a great opportunity to reposition your organization. In the selection process you want to ask behavioral interview questions to gain an understanding of each candidate’s background and experience.

A, Tell me about a time where you have gone above the call of duty to make a great contribution at work.
B. Tell me about a time when you had a very difficult customer that you were able to turn around and make them a raving fan.
C, Tell me about a time where you were a team player and helped your team achieve a difficult goal.
D. Tell me about a time when you had to learn something new and get up to speed quickly.
E. Tell me about a time where you failed to live up to your commitments and what did you learn from this experience.

Most individuals will provide general responses at first. Be sure that you probe and restate the question so that you get a specific example. Listen to the examples so that you can determine they have been able to win in the past. Take great notes so that you can compare the experience from one candidate to the next. After you narrow down your list of potential candidates it is very important to complete a thorough Reference Check process to insure that you have a clear picture of each person’s actual experience. Be sure that you talk to two sources for each candidate and utilize the same interview questions to compare stories. You want to bring in players that have been able to drive results and have been able to own their own performance.

Bob Coulter

Leaders are Readers

For many years Jim Paluch has talked about the importance of continuous learning being crucial in the quest for each of us being BUILDERS. One of the most important things that we can do comes down to the power of reading. When we read and experience a great book we are able to form new perspectives, grasp exciting concepts that can help us in our personal development and see what is possible.

In these challenging times one of the most important things that we can do control is the speed in which we learn and grow. Over the last couple of weeks I was able to finish two terrific books. (Outliers and Tribes) Both of these books challenge our way of thinking and provide us with terrific tools for how we improve our individual performance the performance of our team and most importantly the quality of our lives.

It is so important to look for ways that we can continue to expand our thinking and perspective. I wonder what were the top three books that most impacted you in your career. I am curious what we can learn from each other.

Bob Coulter

WHAT IF OUR GOVERNMENT TRIED EDIFYING?

It's a BLOG so I believe that is open territory to make some bold statements . . . so here goes. . . HEY SENATORS! HEY, CAN YOU HEAR ME HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES? THANKS for trying yet you have ways to go. . . Why don't you try this simple concept? It may be a stretch but a group of people that have worked as hard as you have to get elected and commit to public service should be able to pull it off. Democrats and Republicans, why don't you try and edify each other? You know, build each other up, support, encourage, and help each other become better. What if you just tried it for a day, and then a week, and then a month and then, you know what, history will look back and say, "THAT WAS THE TURNING POINT!"

If you could just try it, because the truth is right now we are all a bit concerned that you might be caring more about your next election than you are caring about the people that have voted each of you into office. You may not realize it there in the halls of congress, but people are laughing at you. I had dinner last night with some great business owners and they just laugh about how obvious your party lines are drawn and as one person said, "The energy they are all spending to make the other side look bad if turned in the other direction could move moutains." We need you to move mountains right now. We need you to edify and work together. . . then watch how excited all of us will be to to re-elect you the next time.

One more thing, if you all begin to practice a little edification, it might even rub off on the Cable News Networks and political entertainiers who are the only ones being laughed at more than you right this moment.

GO AHEAD AND EDIFY

JIM PALUCH