A-Players, A-Teams

By Dominique Trempont, Guest Author

How does one identify and recruit top notch executives, A-players?

How does one make that top notch talent work as a top notch executive team, A-team?

When I interview an executive that is a candidate to join my executive team, I spend the first half of the interview on his/her background, domain expertise if it matters, people skills and on track record. During that time, I form an opinion on several key questions:

* does she think clearly?
* is she capable of visualizing scenarios and charting a course of action?
* does she know what s/he wants?
* does she convey conviction?
* does she mean what s/he says?
* is she capable of passion?
* is she courageous?
* does she have presence?

This set of questions helps me understand their past: trust, commitment, inspiration, perspiration, consideration, attitude, communication, individual performance, ability to deliver results and leadership.

I focus the second half of the interview on something that people generally overlook. I make a statement: “it is not how good you are, it is how good you want to be” and go from there.

Why? B-players get jobs based on their past performance and qualifications (the past). A-players get jobs based on their desire to succeed (the future). A-players are deep learners on new things. A-players are determined to move mountains to succeed.

I love to put winning executive teams (ET) together:

* teams that perform and love to win individually and together,
* teams that inspire others,
* teams that are open to candid feedback,
* teams that pull together in bad news and keep their heads cool in good news,
* teams that make their colleagues aware of attitude issues,
* teams that walk the talk and lead by example.

The sum of A-players does not necessarily equal A-teams. A-players tend to have very strong egos, a desire to be Promethean heroes. They are individualistic, self-interested, survival-oriented, focused on individual performance and focused on individual time.

What do you hear in a set of A-players that are not working as a team:

* “What is a waste of time”
* “There is nothing anyone can do”
* “Nobody wants to talk about what is really going on”
* “It is all show-and tell from the boss”
* “It is his/her fault”
* “S/he does not pull his/her weight”

I have seen a few dysfunctional set of A-players in my life.

Lessons I learned the hard way:

(1) Bet on talent and potential more than on experience.

* Adjust management style.
* Beware of stodgy suits w/ bad habits, personality mismatches and lack of accountability.

(2) Challenge the group regularly w/ fresh people, facts and information.

* Beware of the assumption that the ET has all necessary knowledge and do not assume that the ET operates on the same assumptions and model as the CEO.

(3) Spend lots of time together.

* Get to know one another as people.
* Have fun as well as work together.
* Tackle people issues together (if possible).
* Clarify the decision making process (rules).
* Visit customers and partners as a team.
* Benchmark business and process performance.
* Share unusual experiences together.

(4) Exploit the power of tough decisions (business, organization, people) and positive feedback & rewards to build trust

* Remove weak links: follow your instinct and don’t wait
* Air dirty laundry: no sacred cows. It shapes behavior.

A-teams tend to think well under pressure, to behave, to execute and to deal with crisis. A team is more than a group of people working together. An ET success requires that every single one of its members deliver on his/her piece.

To build a real team, there must be a team spirit, with each individual caring and demanding about his partners’ success, as much as his/her own.

::

“If leaders are content with things as they are, they will influence the group to be satisfied with the status quo. This leads to regression. If your leader is that kind of a person, it’s a tragedy for your group”.
“Finding out how passionate your [team] is about their jobs, and infusing your energy into them until they burn with passion, are the most important duties of a leader”
“The team is a mirror that reflects its leader”

Dr Kazuo Inamori, founder Kyocera