A big step on the way to a more balanced life is assembling the best leadership team.
This requires recognition that it really isn’t all about you. If the members of your team are talented and trustworthy, they will be effective and you will be able to delegate with confidence. You’ll be free to do the things you are exceptional at and you will have more free time—capital that you can spend as you like.
I heard Hall of Famer Joe Dumars, former president of basketball operations for the Detroit Pistons, give a talk at the University of Michigan in which he stressed that, for him, the most important aspect of team building is to pick people of the highest character. Be very selective, Dumars advised, and surround yourself with the right people.
As you do that, it’s important to resist the urge to tap clones of yourself. Select people who are strong in different ways and who can complement one another. If you’re the creative, big-picture type, make sure someone on your team is better at the gritty details. If you’re highly competitive but tend to rub people the wrong way, pick someone who is great at schmoozing and not as highly charged. Each member of the team should play off the strengths—and weaknesses—of others.
Once you have a great team, let everyone do their job. That’s what the team is there for. You won’t be forced to do things you’re not very good at or qualified to do. The team will step up. One of my clients put together a very strong team as he built his company. When he was ready to expand, he was able to turn his full attention to that while his team kept things humming internally.
Recognizing the importance of your team also will give you the proper perspective on yourself. Otherwise, you may think that you can solve everything. Failing to recognize your limits can be your undoing. Working with a team will keep an overinflated sense of how powerful and important you are from taking over.
This point was brought home to me by Robert Chapman, former president and CEO of United Bancorp Inc. “Leaders may be powerful and extremely important to their companies, but they’re also just ordinary people—no better or worse than anyone else,” Bob notes. “If your company or department or project is successful, it’s not just because of you—it’s because everyone has done their job, including the cleaning crews who came in after you went home at night.”
Another example of the power of teamwork is to look at the NFL over the last 50 years. Teamwork at the top level is what has made the Green Bay Packers consistently great in every decade. Unfortunately, this is direct contrast to the Detroit Lions. For an interesting perspective on how not to run an team you might enjoy reading my friend John Baldoni’s recent article in Forbes.
Enjoy your day, do your best work, and keep in touch,
Dr. Rob