As an avid follower of football (soccer), this summer has been enjoyable with the COPA America Centenario and the Euros being played and broadcasted in the United States. The focus is often on the players, like Messi, Dempsey, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, and any Spanish player, but the real leaders are the national team coaches and managers. The ability of the coach/manager to create a unified team of players that are committed to the same goal with each player bringing their talents and passion to the team brings about success. When it is done correctly, the team like Iceland moves on in the tournament, but when done incorrectly you have a team like Mexico, that loses 7-1 and gives up during the match.
I was recently at a conference where Jim Leavitt, the defensive coordinator at the University of Colorado-Boulder, spoke about leading during crisis. At the conclusion of his talk, an attendee asked what the most important aspect of leading during a crisis is for him and his answer was hiring the correct team at the beginning. This aspect of leadership/management is often forgotten during discussions about organizational leadership. How often is the success of the team determined by not promoting the best candidate for the position and the team?
When looking at building a team there is usually a list of skills, knowledge areas, and temperaments that we look for in an individual. However, three items that can be difficult to discern but are essential for an individual to possess to build a successful team are self-motivation, confidence, and passion. These three attitudes are a foundation element to the success of an organization as evidence by its customers' satisfaction or products and services received. I was able to experience these attitudes at work in two individuals I recently encountered.
The first happened while I was at the aforementioned conference during dinner. I had the privilege to dine at Brasserie Ten Ten in Boulder, Colorado. The first thing I noticed when entering the restaurant was the energy in the space. People were in conversation, enjoying their meal, and their time together. What made the meal memorable was not the incredible food I had, although that was certainly enjoyable (contact me if interested in hearing more about the food). The foundation to the success of the establishment was the wait staff at Ten Ten and specifically Scout who took complete care of our entire night. During our meal, Scout exemplified an employee that was self-motivated, confident, and passionate about what she was doing. Her attention to detail of service ware, which was replaced after each course, to asking the chef the specific ingredients in a sauce for my dessert course were outstanding. Her presence, which was not overbearing or suffocating but rather responsive, made the evening fantastic.
The second experience happened at another restaurant, Spencer's Restaurant at the Mountain in Palm Springs, California, while on a extended family vacation. Spencer's had been recommended as a fantastic spot for lunch or dinner, so in the 125 degrees of the day, we headed out for lunch. What is the importance of the temperature being mentioned? If anyone that has encountered the heat will know, you can become very unpleasant as an individual as a result of the extreme heat. However, in the midst of the heat, our table was served by Michael, who like Scout, brought self-motivation, confidence, and passion that made the fact of the heat outside vanish while enjoying the outstanding food. His attention to specific dietary needs of the table, working with changes even after an initial order, and finally his knowledge of the coffee service and answering question about the coffee producer evidenced these traits.
Scout and Michael personified the attitudes, self-motivated, confident, and passionate, that contribute to successful organizations. The meals and the products at both Brasserie Ten Ten and Spencer's were outstanding, but the service provided by our two wait staff were foundational in our exceptional experience. I would suspect that the other members of both of these teams have similar attitudes and that is what makes them successful. We know that there was training involved with the creation of the team but the initial creation/hiring of the team was essential. Each organization found the individuals with the attitudes that drove the success of the organization. Additionally, those individuals that do not have the skills and attitudes to push forward need to be replaced for the betterment of the organization and the individual.
As a leader in your organization, what is the attitude of your team? Do you have a team of individuals that are self-motivated, confident, and passionate about the team/organization or do you have some that seem to drag the team back? The question is, what will you do to resolve the situation to bring about success? If you need some help, go visit Scout and Michael. You will love it!
