Teams – does your business make this mistake?

Client X had been making the mistake that so many businesses make. It was having a big impact on achieving their goals. Let’s take a look at what this mistake was.

The business had grown rapidly. The three Directors didn’t have time to focus on the ‘people’ side so much. It was time to look for some help.

Through a series of recommendations, we came to their attention. RESULT!

First we looked at what they did well.

(1) They put good resource into their recruitment, ensuring they took on people not just with the right skillset and experience, but with the right attitude.

(2) They also worked hard to ensure diversity within their teams, knowing that this has a positive impact on results.

So then we asked the key question: “How much resource have you put into helping those carefully formed teams work well together?” And the answer……not enough.

Take a sports team: the football team you support; your national team in your favourite sport…you choose. The set up in that organisation will no doubt ensure a good pipeline of players, with selection criteria being carefully determined. Different types of players get selected for the different positions. The Head Coach is happy with the group of players in the squad. The coach works hard to ensure a style of play that the club becomes known for, and spends a huge amount of time with the players driving their tactics and technical skills. Success seems to stay just beyond their reach however, and the coach can’t quite work out why.

Their local/national rival has much greater success. They don’t seem to have better players, or more money to throw at things. So what’s the difference? Well, the coach of the rival team understands that you have to go one step further. Good coaches make sure they recruit the right players. The best coaches make sure they work hard at getting them to operate well as a team. Just look at what Claudio Ranieri did with the squad at Leicester City….

It’s the same in business. Client X wasn’t putting enough resource into that final (and significant) part: making sure the team was more than the sum of its parts.

Luckily they had met us 😊 We ran a 2-hour masterclass for the Directors, helping them to understand the key areas that drive a team’s performance. These include:

• clear purpose and direction;

• ‘knowing’ your team;

• team culture; and

• effective communication.

We then agreed with the Directors which areas to focus on, and in which order, with their teams. 6 months down the line, results had improved. In addition, two ‘star’ performers whom they were worried about losing had not only stayed, but stayed with renewed energy and focus.

Our mission is to form long term partnerships with organisations that are serious about developing their people.

To begin a project to help you rethink your approach to this common business mistake and to improve your teams performance, email us the key themes you are facing and we will contact you to organise an initial scoping call: info@sportandbeyond.co.uk.