Building a Successful Team

Transcription

1 KERIN E. STACKPOLE Building a Successful Team Presented by: Kerin E. Stackpole, Esq., SPHR Paul Frank + Collins P.C.

2 KERIN E. STACKPOLE, ESQ., SPHR Kerin E. Stackpole is a Director at Paul Frank + Collins, where her practice areas include employment law, business counseling and general civil litigation. A native of Burlington, Vermont, Kerin is admitted to practice law in Vermont, Maryland and the District of Columbia. Kerin is an honors graduate of the Washington College of Law, American University and of Wheaton College, Norton, Massachusetts. Kerin was the Chair of the Employment Law Section of the Vermont Bar Association from 2000 until 2004 and in 2008 she received her certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources. Kerin has been recognized as one of Vermont s top labor and employment attorneys by Chambers & Partners (USA); Best Lawyers of America and Super Lawyers. NOTE TO READER The information contained herein is based upon sources believed to be accurate and reliable including secondary sources. While we have exercised reasonable care to ensure the accuracy of the information contained here, no representation or warranty is made as to such accuracy. Readers should check primary sources where appropriate and use traditional legal research techniques to make sure that the information has not been affected or changed by recent developments. The paper is presented with the understanding that the author does not render any legal, accounting, or other professional service. Due to the rapidly changing nature of the law, information contained in this paper may become outdated. In no event will the author be liable for any direct, indirect, consequential or other damages resulting from and/or related use of this material.

3 By Kerin E. Stackpole, Esq. Paul Frank + Collins P.C. One Church Street Burlington, Vermont Kerin E. Stackpole, Esq. All Rights Reserved. 1

4 No natural talent, but lots of heart Loads of talented individuals but no team 2

5 DREAM BIG. SET AMBITIOUS GOALS. Even if it hasn t been done in nearly 100 years YOU CAN DO IT! What Prevents You From Winning? Your culture has to reflect what you BELIEVE SAY YES TO THE CHALLENGE Consistent Communication from Management: WE CAN DO THIS. 3

6 Failure does not mean you cannot do it it means you have to TRY AGAIN With Every Failure, there is a Lesson to Be Learned. Take responsibility for failure; Even if you are not the root cause. "When something goes wrong on the field we expect our players to take the blame, step up and proactively assume the blame for it, even if it's not their fault," Epstein said. "That's the way to be a good teammate. After thinking about it some more, I just came to the conclusion that now more than ever we need to be a team. This was an example of being a bad teammate publicly and that we'd be better off moving on and not standing for it." 4

7 Analyze the Failure with your Team It is not about BLAME its about LEARNING Create an environment that welcomes critical thinking Do you need different tools? Different talents? Different process? How do we avoid the pitfalls next time? What can YOU do differently? Expect Everyone To Be Responsible for the Fix MAKE THE FIX HAPPEN AND TRY AGAIN Reward Resilience and Persistence 5

8 Set the Expectation that Success will take Time Doing it Right is More Important t Than Doing it Easily Short term losses are ok, because there will be long term gains. Reward Progress toward the Goal Celebrate Your Values in Action 6

9 What are your company s values? How do you find people with a proven track record of putting those values into action? Technical Skills are important, but a POSITIVE TEAM SPIRIT can be even more important. Make tough choices. Have courageous conversations. 7

10 Employees who treat others well MOTIVATE THEIR TEAMMATES TO EXCELLENCE Employees who HUSTLE and INNOVATE INSPIRE THEIR TEAMMATES TO WORK HARDER A Rock Star who does not play well with others will DRAG DOWN YOUR TEAM Here are questions Theo Epstein expects his scouts/recruiters to answer before the team drafts or trades for a player: Give three examples of how the player handled adversity on the field. Give three examples of how the player handled adversity off the field. How does he treat people when no one s looking? 8

11 How does he treat people he doesn t necessarily have to treat well, perhaps people who have been unfair to him? What do his friends say about him? What do his enemies say about him? What motivates him is he mostly externally motivated (i.e. money, Twitter followers)? Creating a winning team is not just about going with your gut. You need to analyze your strengths and weaknesses. Do you have a well rounded team? Assess talents and skill/attitude gaps on your team. You need comparative data (wages, training, benefits) that will help you attract and retain the best people. 9

12 Do not look for all your talent in the same place. Widen your circle Create alliances with schools, trade organizations, affinity groups Aggressively recruit to add more texture and new perspectives es ( Millie Dresselhaus ) Embrace CHANGE CELEBRATE EVOLUTION The best teams are made of people who can play multiple roles Look for utility fielders (people who have the versatility to be able to play numerous positions) Cross train employees Give them opportunities for variation and growth 10

13 Work on bench depth Career pathing employees is critical Use Education, Community Service and other tools for attracting future talent Look for and celebrate the people who hustle and who consistently show up and give it their best effort. What does Success Look Like? Identify it Quantify it What do you need to do to get there in 5 years? Map out goals and action items for each of those years. Communicate with your team - CONSTANTLY Everyone has a role; everyone has an assignment. 11

14 Same message Different mediums Different messengers from management Give Honest Assessments of Success/Failure Hold people accountable even if it hurts in the short term MAKE SURE YOUR PLAYERS HAVE THE RIGHT TRAINING AND EQUIPMENT Focus on fundamentals Make sure your managers are actually COACHING If a player does not get it right PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE BE WILLING TO BENCH A PLAYER WITH A BAD ATTITUDE 12

15 If we can t find the next technological breakthrough, well, maybe we can be better than anyone else with how we treat our players and how we connect with players and the relationships we develop and how we put them in positions to succeed. Maybe our environment will be the best in the game, maybe our vibe will be the best in the game, maybe our players will be the loosest, and maybe they ll have the most fun, and maybe they ll care the most. When people p do things they weren t even sure they were capable of, I think it comes back to connection. Connection with teammates. Connection with organization. Feeling like they belong in the environment. I think it is human need the need to feel connected. Theo Epstein, Fortune Magazine 13