Want a great “team”? Lessons from Moneyball

“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” Ryunosuke Satoro

 I repeatedly see Business Owners struggling with employee performance which inevitably leads to discussion about the “team”. But, thinking “it’s the team’s fault” won’t fix it.

Getting the right people is the boss’s job

“Blaming a bad team for one’s difficulties is, by definition, a personal failure.” Christopher M. Avery, “Teamwork is an Individual Skill”

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve discussed “employee problems” with Business Owners, and whether a team member should be fired or coached. The question always comes down to: “Can they or will they be able to do what you need to run the business?” And, I’ve yet to find a business owner who can’t answer that question off the top of their head, i.e., they know the answer but that doesn’t mean they’re ready, willing or able to “fire” the person when the answer is negative. People hate hurting others but here’s the rub; it is the “Leader’s” responsibility to take care of the whole and not the individual, regardless of how distasteful that may be. As well,  there may be times when the choice is made to not reach full potential as an organization by choosing to accommodate versus liquidate. It’s a choice but as a Business Owner and Leader, it’s important to understand the implications. The critical question is always: what will make the team more successful?   

In the movie “Moneyball,” Billy Bean (played by Brad Pitt) wanted to win a championship and was willing to do whatever he could to do so. It wasn’t about taking care of individuals and what he accomplished was amazing but he “fired” a lot of people in the process. Rightly or wrongly, greatness isn’t accomplished by being nice.

And “Team Building” may be fun (especially if it is activity-based) but it doesn’t fix anything. That’s not to say that coaching can’t make a difference because, of course, it can (and over time it can make a huge difference) but hopefully you’re not hiring people who need to be taught how to co-operate. As in the movie, “Moneyball,” few have sophisticated algorithms to identify the best employees or even have the equivalent of experienced “scouts” who are adamant they incorrectly know best. That still doesn’t negate a Business Owner’s responsibility to find the right/best people for their business. It might not be easy but finding and implementing a way to succeed is always the Leader’s job.

Providing meaning, resources & clarity is also the boss’s job

“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.”  Unknown

“Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” Vince Lombardi

Unfortunately, having the right people won’t do you much good if they don’t know how, don't want to or don’t have the equipment and tools to get the job done.

You need people who want to win and are passionate about “winning”. But, what’s winning in business? It’s less obvious than in baseball. It is crucial that you take the time to understand and define what winning is and communicate it to the team. How else are your employee’s going to know what to do? Cultivating motivation and commitment are also crucial but can be done only to a degree. You can only influence, you can’t control, although some people are a lot better at influencing than others. It’s about providing meaning and is the essence of what a leader needs to do. It also helps to provide coaching on how to get on base as is working on or finding bats to hit further and shoes to run faster so your team can get on base faster and score more runs. Bottom line, in order to have a great team it pretty much all comes down to Leadership. Sorry.

Question is, as a Business Owner, are you willing to step up to the plate to figure it all out and do what needs to be done?

How to Find Your Sweet Spot

Sweet Spot: The Intersection of Passion, Talent, & Economic Opportunity, Marelisa Fábrega

Sweet spot. You have one... You can do something in a manner that no one else can. Max Lucado "The Cure for the Common Life"

“The problem isn’t that we aim too high and fail, it’s that we aim too low and succeed.” — Sir Ken Robinson

I was recently at a Strategic Planning session where, of course, one of the exercises was to work on the company’s “Sweet Spot”. An unexpected, off-the-cuff sexual innuendo caused the room to explode into hysterics. Thankfully, someone had the good sense to recommend a break or else I don’t know that things would ever have gotten back under control. It was one of those rare, hilarious moments that would be the envy of any comedian. And while you wouldn’t have expected it to be a “productive” use of time, it was in a strange way. It, ironically, provided a pretty good analogy for understanding the impact of finding your “Sweet Spot”.

I personally think of a sweet spot as meeting the following 3 criteria:

Potential

What - It can be thought of as being based on strengths or talent but it’s always about optimizing unique attributes and/or abilities.

Potential Pitfalls - It’s normal to overestimate abilities. For example, most people feel they’re a better than average driver and a lot of them are wrong. It can also be difficult to understand. For example, while it might not be difficult to understand that someone with short legs isn’t going to be a great runner, it can be more difficult to figure who’s the most likely to succeed at winning Survivor.

How – It’s not only about working hard; you also need to find ways to get the prerequisite resources. You won’t win Gold at the Olympics without a good coach, the best equipment and facilities, and a lot of hard training.

Passion

What - You have not only to care but to really care. This is about providing motivation. Without it you have nothing.

Potential Pitfall – If you sacrifice what you care (really care) about “to make money” it simply won’t work as well than if you can find something that you really care about that can also make you money. And it’s not an easy thing. It takes a lot of work. You need to do a lot of self-reflection to discover treasure, and unfortunately, most people don’t know where to start, much less have the drive to see it through. And while most people think they “know thyself”, most don’t “know thyself” as well as they think. No one gets a perfect score on self-awareness.

And it saddens me when I see great people frustrated because they’re “comfortable” and afraid to change. You won’t find your “Sweet Spot” by being comfortable. It takes iterative, extensive exploration to figure it out.

How – Value identification exercises will help, as will peak experience reviews, or simply answering: What’s most important?

Opportunity

What - Where (as per Jim Collins) you understand (it’s all about the insight) the key factors that create revenue enough that you can articulate it as profit/x. And, this is so difficult that I’ve never come across anyone who could do it on the 1^st try and generally not on the 2^nd or 3^rd either.

Potential Pitfall – It’s elusive. We’d all love to come up with a great idea but it generally doesn’t work that way. Timing is everything. We’re all a product of our time and so are opportunities, but few have what it takes to capitalize on them at the optimum moment. So, when opportunity comes along, don’t hesitate or it might be too late. The trick, of course, is to recognize it. No one is all-seeing but certainly maintaining awareness is key.

How – Keep looking until you find one/it.

In my experience, finding a person or a business that’s in their sweet spot is a rare thing and yet I think it’s something every person and business should be striving for. Why wouldn’t you want to? It’s always about leveraging strengths and militating weaknesses. It’s just a lot harder than it sounds.