By HR Consultant and Sports Executive Skip Weisman
As baseball season starts, our guest columnist explains how lessons learned by sports teams can help business organizations. He knows because he’s led both.
With dreams of a World Series championship dancing in their heads, 30 major league teams have just begun the 2007 major league baseball season.
At the dawn of each season, every team starts tied for first place and, in theory, has an equal shot at the big prize. But as 29 of them will find out, becoming a World Series champion takes an extra measure of talent, skill, determination and especially, solid leadership, on the field and off.
Here are some strategies that have created champions that I’ve learned, in 20 years of leading the front office of professional baseball teams … and that business leaders can follow.
1) Develop Strong Leadership at the Top
Championship teams start with strong leadership in the front office and coaching staff. This creates a solid foundation throughout the organization. Without strength at the top, leaders will not be emerge and be developed in a way that allows the organization to thrive. Leaders must manage by example and be masters of “self-leadership,” modeling the behaviors and core values they expect their team members to espouse.
2) Lead with the ‘Platinum Rule’
Successful coaches know that different people are motivated by different things. They therefore use the “Platinum Rule,” which follows the axiom “treat others as they would want to be treated,” which supersedes the “Golden Rule” to “treat others as you would want to be treated.” Get to know your team members and what is most important to them. Help them meet their individual personal and professional goals and everyone wins.
3) Create a Compelling Vision and Purpose
One thing all championship teams have in common is the compelling vision of becoming a champion. All team members are focused on that end result. It is their raison d’être. The team and the players’ goals are aligned, as your company’s goals and the goals of your employees should be.
4) Hire and Inspire the Right Team Members
Championship teams recruit members that aspire to be the best. For your business, this means more just than checking a resume for experience and skills. In 20 years in business, I’ve only fired employees for negative attitude, never poor job performance. Evaluate potential employees for their attitude, beliefs, and values, as it cost significantly less to train for new job skills than for attitude … if you can train for it, at all.
5) Create a Culture of Accountability
Great teams, in sports and in business, are made up of people who believe the best way to be team players is to hold themselves accountable for their individual roles and who look for ways to enhance those roles in supporting the team effort. In conjunction with this, members must know that individual productivity, as well as the team’s, is being measured. There are no results without accountability, and no accountability without measurement.
6) Create a System of Two-Way Feedback
Leaders of championship teams consistently evaluate team members and provide feedback to improve individual and team performance. Full evaluations are made after each season to raise the bar for the next season. Businesses should model this behavior by doing full performance appraisals for all team members at the same time each year. When everyone is on the same schedule, individual and team improvement plans work together for breakthrough results.
7) Create Opportunities to Celebrate & Enjoy the Journey
Championship teams have opportunities to celebrate every time they win a game during their season, so they can enjoy the journey. Businesses should also look for ways to celebrate along the way to maintain enthusiasm among team members. And don’t forget to celebrate little wins along with the big ones.
Skip Weisman, based in Poughkeepsie, New York, works with small to medium-sized businesses to improve personnel, productivity and profits. Call 845-463-3838 or email Info@WeismanSuccessResources.com.
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