[shareable cite=”Pat Riley”]Being a part of success is more important than being personally indispensable.[/shareable]

The best team is not built by just recruiting the best players. It is built by selecting the best players for your system, culture, and values. This is true in sports and in business. A great General Manager and Coach know what their organization is all about and seek to put together a team of great players who buy into the mission, core values, and goals of the team. They also strive to find players who fit into the system and philosophy of the team. Rather than just assemble a collection of individuals, they seek to piece together a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

I have also seen this in the business consulting work that I do in working with high potential and high performing companies and non-profit organizations. If attracting high potential talent is a given, recruiting and selecting the best candidates for the mission, vision, and core values of the organization is essential. You must make it a priority not just to find the best people but to find the best people who are the best fit for your team and company.

[shareable cite=”Mike Van Hoozer”]Selecting the best candidates for the mission, vision, and core values of the organization is essential.[/shareable]

Whether you are the leader of a company or someone who is directly responsible for the recruitment of your talent, there are at least 4 things that you need to do to build the the best team:

• Know Your “System” – The Golden State Warriors are a perfect example of a team that knows their system. They run a motion offense and, therefore, recruit and attract players who are mobile, can dribble and pass the ball, and trust each other with the basketball knowing that the best way to receive the basketball is to give it up. Knowing their system allows them to recruit the best players who fit into the overall whole of a great team – a team that set a record for overall wins in an NBA season with 73 during the 2015-2016 season. For a business, knowing your system may involve identifying core values that make a person successful in your organization and then recruiting to those success factors. In working with companies on their talent development process, we often find that success factors like being a quick learner, demonstrating ownership and initiative, and exemplifying resiliency, or “grit,” rise to the top of the list. You then have to further define what these characteristics look like within your place of business. A success factor in a Fortune 50 company looks very different from an entrepreneurial start-up, so make sure you identify and define these carefully.

• Identify Your Needs – You have to know who you currently have on your team in order to determine who you need. You also have to understand where you are going as an organization in order to recruit and develop the right people to take you there. Great leadership is a lot like chess – you have to know the strengths of your current and prospective team members and strategically place them into positions of success and impact.

• Communicate the Vision – Once you are clear about who you are and who you need, the goal is to communicate the why and what of your organization. Painting a compelling vision of the future is part of the art of attracting the best people for your company or organization. You need to communicate stories of how they will fit in and make a significant contribution toward the future vision of the company. Be sure to make them feel welcome, invited, and inspired to join you on this quest.

• Live the Brand – In every interaction with people, you must always live and personify the brand you are representing. You never know who is watching, and your competitor one day may be your collaborator the next. Make it a goal to invest in relationships, and seek to understand others which will help you determine if your next interaction with someone is an opportunity to partner together for success.

High performing teams and companies are a reflection of the people they hire and develop. When you look for talent, identify people who will connect their unique gifts and talents to a mission that is greater than themselves. In other words, select the best people who are the best fit and watch them create the best team or company and become a part of incredible success and impact!

We work with high potential and high performing individuals, organizations and businesses to help them maximize their potential and achieve their goals. We accomplish this through coaching, consulting, and workshops and retreats. Let us know if we can be of service to you or your team and organization by emailing me.