Every Team Member Is Important!

In the Mission: Impossible TV episodes, there were many times when the mission required the Team to simulate a large political reception…or a fully manned submarine… or a fully staffed hospital.  There is just no way that the 4 or 5 people who were part of the "main team" were going to pull this off.  When this happened, Mr. Phelps turned to outside repertory companies to help him fill the temporary staffing needs he had.  These people were critical to the success of the mission even if they were not named members of the Team.  The failure of these people to do their job well could have easily led to the failure of the mission as a whole.  Because of this, Mr. Phelps, I’m sure, went out of his way to let these people know they were valued and key parts of the overall success plan.

They were, in effect, temp workers.  Contractors.  Part-timers from a staffing agency.  Yet, it seems obvious to us that Phelps would have been foolish to treat them poorly because, even though they had no major part in the mission (such as a speaking part), they could easily cause the mission to fail should they be any less than perfect in what they were doing.

Is this really any different than the temps, contractors and part timers that we employ routinely today at our companies?  Obviously we need the temps working for us to be just as perfect in their jobs so that our “missions” are equally successful!  If you treat temps like they are expendable, isn’t it likely that they will not be working to the peak of their ability and will, in all likelihood, develop a bad attitude that will be noticed by a customer (who will have no idea that this is “only a temp”.)  We must find ways to remind them that they are part of our Team.

How do we do this?  In my past, I have worked for chemical plants that made a point of telling the 15-20 contract workers that worked for them that they were NOT invited to the company picnic because “they were just contract workers”.  Did the money this plant saved on a few hot dogs and glasses of iced tea really make up for the markedly depressed enthusiasm these workers felt at such a slight?  Hardly!  At my utility company, we make a point of inviting everyone who works for or with us to every function we hold…lunches, holiday get-togethers, awards dinners…everything! 

Treat everyone on your team like they are, in fact, on your Team… BECAUSE THEY ARE!   

ACTION:  What are YOU willing to do to ensure that the temps and part-timers working for you do not cause your mission to fail?  (And “firing them after they have allowed your mission to fail” is not really a viable answer.)  How can you make each one of them feel needed and vital.  Finding the answer to this question can determine the success of your entire mission!

Lesson #2: Teach Your Supervisors “How To Drive”

My daughter just turned 15 years old and will soon go get her driver’s permit.  I think this is silly…they should just give her a driver’s license now because she has watch her mother and me drive for 15 years to date.  Surely she knows how to drive by now, right?

Does this sound strange to you? Well, sadly, this is the way most companies view training for their supervisors on how to properly interview new job candidates.  Most businesses just figure that, by the time you are promoted to supervisor, you have been interviewed for jobs so many times that you must know how to interview others fairly well by now.  It just does not work this way.

Think of it as “teaching them to drive”.  

·         New drivers have to learn something about the rules of the road before they can even sit behind the wheel.  Provide instruction to your supervisors on some of the key points first …what they can and cannot ask for instance.   Insure they understand the “why” as much as the “how”.

·         New drivers need an experienced person in the car with them at first.  Pair your new supervisors with experienced and effective interviewers on your staff so that they can see how it is done properly.

·         New drivers must pass a test before they get their license to drive alone.  Supervisors should pass a similar test with HR reps and experienced interviewers observing them but otherwise allowing them to conduct the entire interview “solo”.

·         Even good drivers get into accidents.  Hiring mistakes are not something to cover up.  Even the great Jack Welch claimed to only have a track record of about 60% on his hiring!  If a poor employee slips through with a great interview, the supervisor must be willing to do his job and get rid of the “bad apple”.  If he or she does so properly, they can still be considered great “drivers” of your company’s hiring efforts!

·         Poor drivers can get people hurt.  Poor interviewers can cause a lot of pain in your company ranks.  Both hurt and can be deadly!

Follow these simple steps to get your people driving down the road to success!

How to Find and Keep Good People in a Bad Economy – Lesson 1: Quit Hiring and Start Recruiting

As a manager in business today, you may never get a tickertape parade for our efforts or have statues erected in our honor. But you absolutely can build a winning team by taking the same approach used by top sports coaches like the University of Alabama's legendary Paul "Bear" Bryant.  Coach Bryant recruited only the very best people to work for him, in good times and bad, and played to win with them over the long haul. Applying his lessons to your utility can yield huge wins for your team as well.  Let’s look at some of them and how we can apply these to our businesses today. 

Lesson #1: Quit Hiring and Start Recruiting.

You’ll never see a “Help Wanted” sign posted for a winning sports team. These teams have recruiters out scouting for new talent constantly. They understand that, at any time, a key player could be recruited to another team, get injured, or just retire. Smart coaches don’t wait until they have an opening to start looking, either.  They go looking for great players, even when there are no open positions on the team. It's called “developing your bench.”

Business managers should do the same thing so that we constantly have a list of good people we could recruit in short order, should openings become available. To develop the bench of your business’ staff:

·         Always be looking. Keep your eyes open, and keep notes on great workers you run across day to day no matter where they may be now.

·         Advertise even when you don’t have an opening. Let your community know you are always looking to identify great people for that “call back” file. Accept applications even when you don’t have an opening.

·         Talk to your employees. Your employees can be some of the best recruiters. Let them know the importance of attracting great workers in good times and bad.

·         Have a great reputation. Recruiting means getting someone to quit what they’re doing to come work for you instead. Does your company have such a great reputation that people would be willing to leave their current employer to work for you? If not, you need to be working to make this a reality.

A good coach never rushes the wrong person onto the team just to fill a gap.  The only thing worse than an unfilled job opening is filling it with just a warm body to get through a short-term workload crunch. Don’t allow your supervisors to hire any old Bozo who lacks the necessary skills to be successful for you in the long term. To guard against this happening, management must meet with supervisors and managers regularly and remind them to hire only the best workers, even if it takes longer than hiring the next not-so-objectionable person who walks in off the street. Insist on holding out for only the very best.