Do You Have a Business Team That Can Win?

Imagine the scene: you enter the packed press room and immediately sense the energy from the crowd of reporters. You take a seat at the long table amidst what seems like a sea of cameras, microphones, tangled wires, and bright lights. A reporter from Entrepreneur Magazine stands to ask the first question, and a hush falls over the room. “How confident are you that your team can take you all the way to the championships this year?”

How would you answer? Are you confident in your current business team? If you were struck with fear at the thought of answering that question honestly in front of reporters and cameras, or anyone for that matter, keep reading.  

Building Your Dream Team

In 1992, the U.S. was permitted to field an Olympic basketball team with 12 NBA players that became known as “The Dream Team.” That team dominated all eight games, winning the gold medal—and that was what everyone expected. The United States had high confidence in the ability of their team to win—to achieve the big goal.

Have you ever thought about what you could do with a business dream team of handpicked players? If you’re reading this article on your Clarity Break™, capture your lofty, energizing answers to that question in your Vision/Traction Organizer™.

It takes a great team to achieve a great vision, players who passionately share the vision and have the necessary skills to consistently win. If you aren’t good at filling your bench with the right players, delegate that function to someone who is good at it. The point is, you can handpick your dream team—and you must if you want to win whatever you define your championship to be. As expensive as it is to play, why would you ever step out into the marketplace without absolute confidence that your team can win?

Making the Cut

I’m trusting that you know how to use the Accountability Chart tool to define the team positions you need to win all your games in the next year.  Refer to Chapter 4 of Traction, the appropriate lessons in Base Camp or ask a Certified EOS Implementer if you want help.

First, to be on your dream team, every player needs to passionately share your vision—everything in your V/TO. They need to care about winning the championship, even for reasons that may be different from yours. That includes sharing your Core Values, as explained in my previous post.

Second, every player needs to possess the skills and desire to consistently win. If you’re familiar with EOS terms, we say they need to GWC their position: Get, Want and have the Capacity to fully deliver what their position requires.

A Test

To achieve your essential goals in the next year, you determine you need to fill a new position: a Sales Team Leader/Manager. Your best salesperson, Bill, has been on your team for eight years. Bill follows the sales process, hits his sales targets consistently, and has a good sense of pricing your offerings with the market. Bill even displays leadership qualities by proposing progressive ideas to grow sales. All that said, Bill does not like to manage and hold teammates accountable. He is more of a good old boy that everyone likes. Bill would love to sit in the Sales Leader/Manager seat because he feels a bit entitled—that he has earned it. Do you put Bill in the position?

Would your answer change if Bill were a family member or an owner of the business? These are the tough decisions that will win or cost you the championship. In your dream team, every position needs to be filled with the person who can best deliver every expectation for that position, not 4 out of 5. Poor placement decisions will pressure other players to divert some of their focus, time, and energy away from their positions to cover for weaknesses in their teammates. Is that the way to confidently win championships?

Actions for This Week

1. Review your Accountability Chart to be sure you have complete confidence in your team, that every player truly makes the cut as defined above.
2. Draft and initiate a plan to resolve any player issues as quickly as possible.

Next Steps

• Download a free chapter of Traction by EOS founder Gino Wickman.
• Download a copy of the EOS Accountability Chart to help you discover the right structure for your company.
• Request a free 90-Minute Meeting with an EOS Implementer to get a clear picture of what it looks like to run your company on EOS.