Firstly, congratulations to the @Raptors for their fighting victory on Sunday night. As I sat and watched them play throughout the series there was one reoccurring theme in all conversations, and that was around finding the right team.

While sports casters, critics and fans continued to express their frustrations with the all-stars not bringing their A Game each night, it became more apparent to me as a business owner how critical it is to have the right key players in place to lead the team to victory.

This is something business owners continuously deal with as part of day to day operations. With intense competition in the global job market, budgetary constraints and changing business direction there are always reasons to see great talent come and go but one thing remains constant-the business owner is the coach and needs to create and maintain a strong team no matter what.

Easier said than done, I know! But like any other aspect of running a successful business, the right planning and process can help direct hiring and retention of the team members you need in place to succeed.

Know What You Need

The first step to assembling your all-star team is to clearly identify exactly what you’re looking for. Do you need a junior to basically help run with direction that will be provided? Do you need a leader to start taking work off of your plate? Is industry experience a must or a nice to have? What are the must haves, nice to haves and don’t need to haves that you’ll be covering off in your job posting and interview process. You wouldn’t start a business without a plan, so bringing new talent on board without a blue print doesn’t make much sense does it?

Winner on Paper and In Person

While most of the qualification process is done based on resumes and cover letters that come in the door, the actual interview process involves much more than just what appears on paper. Finding the right team member not only involves finding someone that can do the job but also someone that can do so as part of the team that you are building. Corporate culture is a key aspect of any successful business and trying to squeeze a square into a circle will lead to failure. You know what your culture involves and the job of the coach is to make sure that the new team members clearly understand and can adapt to it. Whether it be structural, entrepreneurial, fast paced, technical or collaborative make sure that your star players are in line with the game plan!

Set Clear Expectations

A third tip is to make the expectations of each team member’s role clear to them and to the rest of the team. Ensuring that this is in place will help to one, give each person a very clear road map of where they are heading. Two, ensure that you’re not wasting resources by doubling up on responsibilities. And three, that you as the coach know if there are any holes in the overall requirements for your business to succeed.

Once you have your teams in place remember to engage, motivate and continue to coach. You’re the one with the vision for your business and communicating that along with the right level of momentum will give you the team work you need to win!

Have a great week.

Frank.