What is the state of your team? Do you have all the right players on the field? Are you spending precious energy on team members who simply may never meet your expectations? Are you inadvertently ignoring your star players or putting unnecessary pressures on them? Are you clear about who you must manage up and who must be put on a plan to be managed out? Or has your team focus dwindled to checking seats and making sure there are warm butts in them?

The Management hat carries a heavy load, which with the speed of technology, change & communication, gets heftier every day. Not only are you expected to manage sales forecasts, learn and roll out new software applications, switch over phone systems, attend to escalated customer issues and brainstorm new, innovative marketing strategies, BUT you must also be adept at seeking out and managing top talent to continue to move your business forward.

Is that the thrum of an emerging headache I hear?

Out of all of your many responsibilities, the single most important piece to your business-growth mosaic is your TEAM! Ignoring or putting your team issues to the bottom of your priority list will cripple all of your other efforts.

Here’s an exercise that can put your focus back on your most critical resource…your team. Don’t waste another day. Identify who you must manage up and who must be managed out! The survival of your business depends on it.

 4-SQUARE TEAM MANAGEMENT EXERCISE

Green Square:

This is where your “Star Players” belong.  These are your folks who adapt to change, excel in their role, are self-directed, maintain a winner’s attitude, share their best with team members, go above and beyond, exceed personal and company-driven goals. In short, they are a pleasure to have on your team and they directly and consistently contribute to your growth as a Company. 30% of your focus should be spent on these employees.  (Creative Incentives and Rewards as a blog article coming soon)

Red Square:

Here are the team members you will ultimately spend the majority of your focus on. These people have the right attitude and drive. They are engaged and eager to learn and do more. However, in order to pull them into the Green or “Star Player” square, they require some additional training, one-on-one mentorship, more regular encouragement and time to hone their skills. It’s time to co-develop a “growth plan” with these team members. Assign some time to have them “shadow” one of your star players. Provide them with resources, reading materials, classes etc., in order to assist them on their path to success. 50% of your focus should be spent on these employees.

Purple Square:

The team members who you write down into the purple square tend to be consistent, but lack initiative. They will give you 8 hours, show up every day to work, do their job (exactly as their job description dictates) but not much more. They are the people who love to sit in your office and chew your ear in the morning. They have ideas, but rarely implement. It may have seemed at one time that they had the “potential” to do so much more. Perhaps in the past, they even rose their hand to take on additional projects.  These team players can swing up to the red square or slip miserably into the blue square. It’s time to reset expectations with these individuals. Put aside an hour to conduct one-on-one meetings to inquire about their goals, to ask them how they intend on growing with the Company or what their vision of their role is six months to a year down the line. Look for a spark, look for self-guided efforts, but do not hold your breath. Reset your expectations with them and ONLY put out additional time or energy when/if they step up to the plate on their own. 15% of your focus should be spent on these employees.

Blue Square:

Ahhhh, the blue square. Here’s where all of your energy vampires reside and the source of most of your throbbing neck aches. These are employees who undermine your authority, balk loudly at change, show up late and leave early. They may also be the ones who come to work every day and give you eight hours…may even work a bit of overtime here and there, BUT their negative attitude is quietly infesting the overall morale of the team and may be seeping out towards your customers and referral partners. They may have been with your Company a VERY long time, but that does NOT mean you should keep them on the team. An exit plan is LOOOONG overdue. 5% of your focus should be spent on these employees and that is simply for the purposes of beginning to document the issues, gain insight from your HR Department and let them go so they can find the right job for them and you can find the “right” team player for you!

Remember… all of the best systems, services, marketing plans and customer-focused initiatives in the world STILL are only as effective as the people driving them.