Great Results Come From Great Teams

Having looked at how much folks within our organizations need us to exemplify what we’re holding up as core values and detailing how unlikely we are to build a great team without those values being a legitimate part of what we’re doing on a daily basis, let’s dig into some practical steps each of us should be doing to rally our team around our company values. I’d love to cite several different articles referencing mounds of data showing global companies with monstrous growth simply because the executives backed their value talk with a disciplined value walk, breaking records year after year. I searched for it and found plenty of articles listing the big names we’d all expect to read about, but I’ve seen just as many articles bashing those same companies for less than scrupulous practices. 

With that being the case, let’s stick with some that I have very close proximity with. As I explained the textbook example I saw my friends provide for each of the five values they’ve used as the foundation for the business they acquired in 2021, I shared some of the growth that business recognized through the first twenty-four months they owned it as well as a few things they’ve achieved since. With now four separate businesses under the parent company they’ve formed, all based on those same five values, the cohesion is nothing short of amazing. Not only has the first business grown substantially, the others are following suit. Every time I talk with Craig, which is at least once each week, he tells me about an awesome new client or a new opportunity that’s as big as they’ve had to date. None of that is coincidence. Quite honestly, I see nearly every member of his team firing on all cylinders to support this growth. And not only is the existing team actively engaged, they’ve made some outstanding additions to the team, too!

I once heard Jack Welch say that even the best managers only make the right hire about 50% of the time. Having been involved in well over a thousand hiring decisions, I’m far too familiar with why he made that statement. Even the most thorough interviews are rarely long enough to learn everything you need to know about a candidate's work history or existing skill set. With all the employment law rules and regulations around what can or can’t be discussed during an interview, it can be extremely difficult to get a complete picture of who the person really is. In many cases, the leaders most experienced in the hiring process use their intuition to determine if the candidate with a reasonable level of competency will actually fit in with the rest of the existing team. Sometimes all this works out wonderfully and sometimes the person who shows up for their first day of work looks and sounds like the person you interviewed, but acts completely different right out of the gate.

The most resounding thing I’ve seen come from the strong foundation Craig and Kim have built across all their companies by consistently modeling their core values has been how much it has impacted even the hiring process. Since they’ve experienced so little voluntary turnover, and much of what they have had has been through planned retirements, they’ve had the luxury of being very intentional about screening every candidate. Relevant skills certainly play a role, but every aspect of how the person connects with the existing team ties into the final decision. Coupled with the fact that they’re building a very positive reputation, resulting in multiple quality candidates applying for each position that’s posted, the team has grown stronger through nearly every hire. Great results do indeed come from great teams, and those great teams rally around great values that they see their leaders model daily - so we’ll pick up there next time!