The True Value of an All-Star Team
May 12th, 2016 // 10:44 am @ Scott Manning
I have long said in Business we have such an advantage because we can choose our people. Of course, we can also choose our customers (another great advantage that most people do not take care and control of).
You know in sports, all the teams share the all-stars because they have to, they have to spread them around to make things competitive and that’s why they have salary caps, draft orders and free agency.
In life, not so much. We pick and choose and build whatever we want.
So, big question is, do you have an all-star team? Are you focused on creating an all-star team, every single day?
Life is short and a lifetime of “average” won’t get you as far as just a few years of extraordinary. Because you are a business person, you realize the time value of money, you grasp that $1,000,000 earned over 10 years or 1 year is not the same amount of money. That does depend on whether or not you squander it.
But, that said, if you have $1,000,000 that you can grow and compound into many things because you accelerate your success in your business that is always going to be more valuable that just making a little bit of it at a time over a long period of time.
Well I would offer up to you that the same is true for your team.
If you have someone who is just at average performance levels and they are okay at getting by… They will stay with you and be loyal which is worth some money, it’s worth a lot actually, but if their potential is not being compounded, if they are just a task worker not a contributor, if they are just going through the motions and not really taking initiative – then the time value of money says: you can’t afford them.
People are even more important than money for all of the reasons we have talked about over the past few weeks and your investment in them should be held accountable just the same.
Case in point, you hire someone for too little money with too little skill (or self worth) and then they struggle through their job responsibilities and you think – well, I can’t afford anyone else because of INSERT EXCUSE!!
And since this person is under qualified and under paid to do the task at hand and successfully fulfill their responsibilities, they waste so much opportunity and potential for growth in your business EVERY SINGLE DAY that opportunity is lost and compounding growth is lost in the future.
There is no getting back what someone doesn’t do, execute, capture, perform, or achieve on a daily basis. Therefore, you being cheap in hiring less than an all-star just cost you a lot of money – multiples, exponentially impacting your results in the future because of this decision and acceptance today.
So, what’s an all-star?
Focused.
Self-Reliant.
Determined.
Curious.
Ambitious.
Responsible.
Team Player.
Positive.
Loyal.
Performer.
I could go on and on and they might be something different based on the role they fill and the position they play. None the less you do pick your people.
There are two things you can’t change and won’t ever change – personality and integrity. You can pretty much change the skillset, mindset or any other trait (if they are willing), except these things.
You are not going to innately change who they are – integrity.
And you are not going to innately change how they are – personality.
So when you decide whether or not you have an all-star or someone with potential there is only one way to find out…
Push them to their limits and give them whatever it takes to make them succeed.
It’s your job to show them the way, it’s their job to make it happen. Creating all-stars, that’s next week’s topic. You’re going to love this…taking anyone you have today and turning him/her into the best of the best.
In the meantime take a cold hard look, pencil and paper even, and assess where you are being cheap, losing opportunity, thinking short term and sacrificing long term value and compounding growth with your business, your people and your customers.
Category : Blog