Imagine that you lead your present team. What are the qualities you want your people to demonstrate? One approach is to employ people who aim to be positive, professional and, when necessary, peak performing.
Let’s explore how you can identify whether the people in your team demonstrate these qualities.
Positive
Start by looking at each person in your team or those you want to hire. Ask yourself the following questions.
Do they have a positive attitude? Do they generate positive energy? Do they encourage other people? How do people feel after meeting them?
Do they take responsibility? Do they use volunteer language, saying that they want to make things happen? Or do they use victim language, saying that things happen to them?
Do they look for positive solutions to challenges? When appropriate, do they try to find win-win solutions to conflicts? Are they resilient? Do they rebound from setbacks?
On a scale 0 – 10, to what extent would I rate the person as being positive: a) towards customers; b) towards colleagues?
Some employees can behave superbly with customers, for example, but may be difficult with colleagues. Great team members recognise that it is important to be positive with both groups.
Looking at each person in turn, rate them in both areas. Then describe what they can do to maintain or improve the ratings. Here is the exercise on this theme.
Professional
Being positive is a good start, but it is also important for the team members to be competent. They need to support other people and deliver high professional standards.
Bearing this in mind, look at each person in turn and ask the following questions.
Do they behave professionally? Are they service minded? Do they deliver good service to their external customers? Do they behave professionally towards their colleagues? Do they produce good quality work?
Are they proactive? Are they self-managing? Do they make clear contracts with people? Do they fulfil their promises? Do they want to keep improving?
Are they good are decision making? When making a decision, do they clarify the real results to achieve? Do they explore the possible options? Do they see the consequences of each option? Do they then make good decisions?
Are they good at proactively managing their key stakeholders? What are the words that their key stakeholders – their managers, customers and colleagues – would say about them?
On a scale 0 – 10, to what extent would I rate the person as being professional: a) towards customers: b) towards colleagues?
Rate them in both areas and then describe what they can do to maintain or improve the ratings. Here is the exercise on this theme.
Peak Performing
Great teams are made up of people who continually do superb work and, when necessary, are peak performing. They rise to the occasion when it matters.
They may do this when providing great service, managing crises or doing exceptional work. People are more likely to do this when playing to their strengths. Bearing these things in mind, ask yourself the following questions about a person.
Do they consistently deliver 8+/10? When do they do work that is effective, excellent and sometimes exceptional? When do that go that extra mile and add that touch of class?
What are their strengths? What are the specific activities in which they deliver As rather than Bs or Cs? How can they use these to make their best contribution to the team?
If this was my own business – and my own money – would I employ this person? If so, what would I hire them to deliver? What would be the benefits to the team?
On a scale 0 – 10, to what extent do I rate the person regarding them to, when appropriate, being peak performing: a) when working with customers: b) when working with colleagues?
Rate the person in both areas and then describe what they can do to maintain or improve the ratings. Here is the exercise on this theme.
Imagine that you have done these ratings. What are the kinds of scores are you looking for? It can be useful to have people who score the following in each area.
Being Positive: 8+. This is vital because the way they behave will affect other people.
Being Professional: 7+. This is providing they are willing to keep developing.
Being Peak Performing: 7+. This is providing they are willing to use their strengths to the benefit of the team.
One leader explained how he had used this approach when focusing on some of his team.
“The part I found most useful was rating one of my key players in relation to both customers and colleagues.
“He was superb with clients, but terrible with team members. He dismissed people’s opinions and moaned aloud in the office.
“So I gave him the option of: a) choosing to be professional towards team members, or; b) carrying on being unprofessional and, as a result, being moved on from the team.
“After a period of reflection, he chose to be professional towards his colleagues. Since then he has been true to his word, but I am not taking any chances.
“So I have visited his customers, introduced them to other team members and have a back-up plan in case he reverts to his old behaviour.”
Imagine that you lead your present team. One approach is to have people who aim to be positive, professional and, when necessary, peak performing. This provides the basis for continuing to build a superb team.
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
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