These two questions can help any leader who wants to create great teams.
Who do I want to be as a teammate? and Who do I want on my team?
You’re reading this blog which is focused on connecting people and mobilizing them to deliver results so I know you want to create great teams as much as I do.
In today’s post, I’ll share some practical tips and resources to apply these powerful questions to achieve that goal.
This post is part of a series based on The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni [affiliate link]. If you’re new to this blog, check out my last post, Discover How to be a Better Teammate to get more background on this series.
You can also subscribe to my weekly email newsletter to stay connected with me.
Who do I want to be as a teammate?
In The Ideal Team Player [affiliate link], Lencioni describes three virtues.
- Humble
- Hungry
- Smart
As defined in the book, these three characteristics capture how I want to live my life. They describe the kind of teammate I want to be.
I want to be Humble, Hungry, and Smart.
If I want to create great teams, I need to be a great teammate. And, being Humble, Hungry, and Smart is the framework I follow.
I’ll share my perspective on each of these attributes in separate posts.
For now, I want you to pause and think about your answer to this question.
Ask yourself, Who do I want to be as a teammate?
This is critical. We all need to understand our core values.
If you can’t answer that question, I strongly recommend that you invest some time thinking about it.
You may not want to be Humble, Hungry, or Smart. That’s your choice.
Of course, I recommend you reconsider if you want success when you’re on a team or you’re trying to create great teams.
While you’re pondering the first question, let me move to the second.
Who do I want on my team?
I know what it means for me to be true to myself when I’m on a team. My core values are clear. I hope yours are too.
I want to be Humble, Hungry, and Smart. Teams with people who have this same goal are inspiring to me. I want to be around them.
When I get to pick the people on my team, I will pick Humble, Hungry, and Smart people every time.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to be on a team full of people just like me.
I am an active proponent of diversity and inclusion. A variety of backgrounds and differing perspectives are critical factors when I form teams.
Humble, Hungry, and Smart come in many different forms. In fact, these virtues actually promote diversity and inclusion.
You decide who’s on the team. Be ready.
You may be in a position to directly select your team members. You have the final decision on who gets hired or selected for the team.
You’re the coach. The hiring manager. The decider.
That’s great!
You can apply the Humble, Hungry, Smart framework immediately.
Check out my last post and take a look at The Ideal Team Player Interview Guide. This resource from The Table Group is useful, practical, and free.
Chances are, however, that most of us aren’t in a position of authority with formal decision rights.
What about us? Can we still have an impact?
Absolutely!
You will be deciding who is on the team soon. Get ready.
Most teams are not created through a formal process. Adding a new staff member or signing a new recruit is a relatively rare event.
Still, teams are formed all around us every day. You can influence who is on the team.
You’re probably doing that already even if you haven’t looked at it from that perspective.
Think back to our broad definition of a team from my post, How many teams are you on? More than you think.
A team is “a number of persons associated together in work or activity“. We’re all on countless teams.
Whether you’re forming an executive level business leadership group or signing up volunteers to help organize snacks for your child’s field trip, you are picking team members.
You want to have the right people on the team. That can be the difference between a smooth and pleasant experience and a nightmare story that you will make you cringe when you tell it twenty years from now.
I said earlier when I get to pick the people on my team, I will pick Humble, Hungry, and Smart people every time. I encourage you to do the same.
How can we do that?
Decide on the traits you want in your future teammates
- Become familiar with the Humble, Hungry, and Smart virtues. Even a basic understanding will be beneficial.
- Read these posts. Review the referenced resources.
Identify your future teammates
- Observe the people around you. Who is Humble, Hungry, and Smart? Or maybe just one or two of those virtues.
- Who do you think would want to be more Humble, Hungry, and Smart if they were given the opportunity?
Invest in the your future teammates
- Cultivate your relationships with those who are living some or all of these virtues. Talk with them about these concepts.
- Share these posts. Recommend the referenced resources. Buy the book The Ideal Team Player [affiliate link] for them.
Do these three things now before you are in a position to select your teammates.
When the opportunity arrives, you will be well prepared to select Ideal Team Players and create a great team that delivers exceptional results.
Let’s do something great.
Greg
Discussion Questions
- What teams will you be creating in the future? List the people you would like to invest in now and ask to be on those teams.
- How can you share with them the things you’ve learned to help them be an Ideal Team Player with you?
I would love to know how you are putting this information into practice. Please share your input in the comments section so we can celebrate our successes together and encourage one another in our struggles.
