Is 'Team Player' a dangerous term?

The term 'team player' is probably one of the most overused and dangerous terms in the hiring situation.

It's become so de rigueur that no job applicant would dare say they are not a team player.  However, do you always need a team player for every job?  And what is the downside of being a 'team player'?

If you're in an environment where you want people to take ownership of a project, to run with the ball to get it completed, someone who's a team player may not be a good candidate.

The term 'team player' might all too easily be hiding someone who cannot make decisions on their own, doesn't think independently, and likes to take a passive approach to their work.

We are all capable of sitting in a meeting room with our co-workers, agreeing with everybody else's opinions, and making ourselves sound like a great team player, but does that mean a person who exhibits those behaviors - which are very easy to produce - is actually good at supporting the team?

In situations where, for example, you have a backlog of work, a team player may be the last person you need.  Someone who likes to go off by themselves, tackle the job and get it done, may be a more ideal candidate.  But how will you find this person when every candidate who comes in for the interview feels obliged to say what a great team player they are?

And what is really the definition of a 'team player'?  If you look closely at what is really needed - as opposed to a phrase that is too easy to parrot - you need someone who can get along with other people when necessary, but can go it alone if needed.

Look at the world of sports and you will see how this works in winning teams. Good team players know when to support other people on the team and when they must literally carry or run with the ball to score a goal. In other words, they can do both.

For real success in hiring, it might be better to focus on the skills the person has and determine how they work on their own, leaving identifying their ability to work with the team for your reference checks.

For more insight into some of the pitfalls of hiring and how to avoid them, read my book Other People's Problems: Why You Need To Go On Interviewing Your Employees - After You Hire Them!

http://www.deborahcsawyer.com/shopsite_sc/page2.html



Copyright Deborah C. Sawyer/Information Plus

Are they freeing up your time to build the business?

Most people, when asked, would give a range of reasons for hiring staff at their small businesses but the real, underlying reason, for all hires in a start-up or newer enterprise is to: Free up the owner's time to build the business!

After all, why else would you take anyone on - to share the wealth? C'mon, this is capitalism we're talking about! No owner willingly shares the returns on their sweat equity.

Yet it is amazing how few business owners - never mind employees - realize this fundamental truth.

In order to assess if employees and other staff are really pulling their weight, you need to run their performance through this "freeing up your time" prism constantly.

Obviously, you have to allow for time to train new hires and you have to allow for time to discuss job requirements, new projects that come in, new products or services you plan to offer, new customers etc, as these things arise.

But if you find you are constantly sitting down with any single worker to go over things they are not doing or not doing right, well, that person is definitely NOT freeing up your time to build the business. They are TAKING your time from building the business.

It's unlikely any small business owner has the luxury of that much time - or the funds in the bank to support this diversion of his or her concentration away from building the business.

Be aware of some of the traps that come up with employees who are not supporting your business building goals. My book Other People's Problems goes over all the issues which can siphon off your time - and shows you how to forestall these problems.

For details or to purchase, go to:http://www.deborahcsawyer.com/shopsite_sc/page2.html

Copyright Deborah C. Sawyer

We Don't All Read The Same Business Books...

From time to time, I answer questions on LinkedIn, which is  forum of exchange used by many in business.

The questions I answer tend to be about hiring... firing... policy and procedures... and related topics. Often, the questions - mainly posted by those in management or supervisory roles - concern how to motivate people, how to find out what potential hires are capable of, what to do about under-performing workers, and the like. 

The questions are usually asked by people who are doing their best to keep up with current thinking, often inspired by the latest business books.  What my over 30 years of business and management experience tells me, though, is THAT is half the problem: One set of people at the office reads all the latest books, the other half never does!

Coming in to work brimming with great theories and concepts is all very well but, to be an effective manager, you need to step back and realize: many of those who report to you do not give a damn about the issues you hold most dear. Thinking: "Of course we all want to maximize returns" or "Driving down costs is our collective goal" or any number of other objectives you might care to mention, will leave you disappointed and likely very frustrated. Many rank and file workers do not give a damn about market penetration, don't know what emotional intelligence is and don't care, or go to sleep every time they hear the phrase "mission-critical".

Keeping a more realistic perspective on the workplace may help you to become a more pragmatic - and, in the long run, successful - manager. By all means go on reading the latest gospel to come in the form of a business book but don't subscribe to the ideas so heavily that you end up disillusioned when the great ideas don't pan out in practice as promised.

To look at how ideas are valuable as indicators but not as imperatives, consider how many companies got burned a few years ago by implementing supply-chain management systems. Or the sometimes mixed results from Sigma Six. Or any of a number of other conceptually driven programs.

A great many people out there are good workers but what they want is to have a defined set of tasks, show up, be allowed to perform them, then get paid and go home. They have lives and interests outside the office and, funnily enough, the people who take this approach probably have more work-life balance than those who are busy reading about how to re-invent the wheel that is business.

Some of  the above may seem strange coming from someone who has written business books herself but, the difference in my books - I hope! - is that I try to be pragmatic and offer practical advice, not fancy theories. When you read my latest book, Other People's Problems, you'll be able to decide if I've managed to pull it off!

For details, go to the link below.

http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/other_peoples_problems/9268001


Copyright Deborah C. Sawyer