If leadership in the Middle Market look back at the early days of their roles, what are a few things they’d like to change? Likely, they’d have a few thoughts about what they wish they’d have known about building a team.
Few leaders are given the luxury of building their dream team. For starters, many will inherit an established team. Or, they may be more concerned with putting bodies in seats. Sometimes, you don’t have time for strategic design, when your needs are great & immediate. You may not start with the team you desired, but you can least know how to go about building it.
What Does Your Team Need To Know And Do?
Most companies view teams as a group of individuals who work together to complete a series of goals. While this is technically true, a great team will be so much more. But first, you have to make sure the basics are covered.
So, when revamping teams for your Middle Market firm, start with what they need to know and need to do. Instead of thinking of requiring X number of people to do Y tasks, what must the group accomplish together? What knowledge will the team need, not individually but together? If you can step back from thinking in numbers of people or having every person have a certain set of knowledge, you’ll be on the right track to thinking complimentary and strategically.
Complimentary Knowledge And Skills
A synergist team that truly works together doesn’t consist of a certain number of people who all know a part of a whole. It is built of a group who share some of the same knowledge and skills, but also have enough differences to help build a sum of more than their parts.
Imagine for a second if you had 10 people with different but complimentary skills. Where one person’s abilities left off, another could pick up. Instead of focusing on how much each person accomplishes individually, you drive their open communication and collaboration. You allow them to do what they excel at and help each other with their knowledge and skillsets.
Does that sound like something your Middle Market organization could benefit from? Well, you can! Start looking at individuals’ areas of expertise and how they align with each other. Maybe person A is great at data and documentation but not fantastic at communication. Person B is a fantastic communicator but not so hot at tracking data or documenting things effectively. Instead of working with Person A to up their communication and Person B to keep better track of things, could you amplify their innate abilities and allow them to share the pieces each is weaker at?
If so, you’d be tapping into what each excels at – and frankly probably enjoys much more – and allow for them to cohabitate in the functions of the role. Together, they’d reach the goals your Middle Market firm has set and each will likely be happier and more engaged. That is what a strategic team looks like. A group working together with each person excelling at their strengths and helping the group be successful.
If your Middle Market teams don’t look like this, it may be time to task your leaders to start thinking and building strategically.
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