Breaking Down the Super Team Formula

Today we have a guest blog from Earl Bell:

If you would like to employ a practical model for increasing the collective effectiveness of your employees while enhancing a strong and vibrant culture, consider building a Super Team of employees at your company by using this formula to transform ordinary performance into extraordinary results:

SUPER TEAM FORMULA

ST = (E1*E2)*(TCCC)/BSF

Each of the factors in this formula is described below:

SUPER TEAM FACTORS

• ST – Super Team.  Building a super team makes running a business easier, more fun and more profitable.

• E1 – Employee engagement. According to both national and regional research studies performed in the last year, over 70% of employees are disengaged at work. If your company is an exception to the rule, then congratulations are in order.  If this is not the case, what are you doing as a leader to inverse this statistic?

• E2 – Employee effectiveness. What are you doing to help employees become better and more valuable at their jobs?  A personalized plan for cross training, professional development, leadership and/or management training, and technical skills enhancement are all specific examples of what should be budgeted for and scheduled out over the calendar year.

• TCCC – Team chemistry, commitment and connection.  How intentional are you at building vibrant company culture?  What are you doing to improve chemistry, commitment and connection between and amongst employees?  Absent a plan to develop and enhance company culture, you will witness drift from the founding culture to something that may be neither desired nor beneficial.  Don’t let this happen in your company.

• BSF – BS factor. What are you doing to eliminate bull%^*$ from your company?  If you don’t know what BS is in the workplace… then you have a “Best Place to Work!”

APPLYING THE SUPER TEAM FORMULA

The goal of course is to increase the Super Team factor in your company. To do this, increase E1, E2 and TCCC. Reduce the BSF.

NEXT STEPS

Will you invest the time to individually assess each employee in terms of how they score within each of the Super Team factors?  Will you develop a plan to rid the company of toxic employees so that investment of time and money into the development of productive employees produces tangible benefits and results?  Who will lead this charge?  How will you determine appropriate investment of time and money?  How will you measure Return on Investment?   My advice is to get excited about undertaking this very important initiative and get started today.  

Everyone will have fun along the way and be thrilled with the results when employees congeal and become a Super Team!

EARL BELL

EARL BELL is the author of, Winning in Baseball and Business, Transforming Little League Principles into Major League Profits for Your Company, which provides a roadmap to success for leaders that desire to build thriving companies in a very competitive 21^stcentury business environment.  Earl believes that “everything you need to know about business, leadership and team building can be learned from Little League baseball.”

Earl conducts workshops, coaches and consults with owners, business leaders and their teams, teaching them how to dramatically reduce the time it takes to improve profitability, customer experience, employee engagement and company value, while simultaneously increasing discretionary time and reducing both stress/employee burnout.  He believes the secret to winning in baseball, business and life can be summarized in a simple formula:  Winning = Service + Humility. His motto is that Winning in Business is a Team Sport!

Earl has served in the Chief Financial Officer role for numerous companies throughout North America. His personal passion is youth sports and he has coached 28 teams since 2002.  Earl is a CPA, graduated from SU (Seattle University) with a BA in Accounting and from the MILL (Mercer Island Little League) with a Master’s in Youth Baseball.

Earl Bell can be reached at earl@earlbell.com and 206-420-5946

Why the Right Attitude Builds Super Teams

Today we have a guest blog from Earl Bell:

Building a super team in the workplace (compared to a very average team) comes down to having (or not having): (1) talented employees with (2) the right attitude.  Both characteristics are important but I’ll take the right attitude over talent any day.  The right attitude builds super teams!

To use a metaphor that goes back to the day of coaching select players on super-teams in the world of youth baseball, we had the best team strengthening conversations after each practice and game.  They usually lasted less than 10 minutes but I believe them to be most important 10 minutes we could ever spend as a team.   By the way, these players and teams later competed in Cooperstown, NY and the Little League World Series.

Our format was always the same:  First, the players would take turns talking about what they saw another teammate do either during the practice or game that was exceptional or noteworthy.  No player was allowed to talk about themselves.  Second, each player was given opportunity to point out one thing they could have done better and will commit to, so that they can improve the next time…

So what were the outcomes of these meetings?  First, players offered personal observations about why their teammates and team were awesome.  This part of the meeting couldn’t help but pump up the team and reinforce positive behaviors.  Second, each player owned up to what they could control and do to become a better player and teammate.  This brought accountability and exposed each individual’s desire and commitment to help the team succeed at the next game or tournament competition.

The desire to compete and win, be part of a team and get better each day applies in both sports and business.  In the business world, sharing publicly when employees truly appreciate their co-workers achievements and success is extremely powerful.  Building a culture of trust where employees openly can talk about what they will do to get better creates a dynamic where the greatest fear for an employee is not letting themselves down, but instead letting their teammates down, is a powerful element of team building. 

You want employees that have the strength, persistence and desire to be a great teammate.  This job is not for everyone.  However, this is exactly what part of the job description should be for your employees, if you want to compete and win in the game of business.  What are you currently doing to create a super-team at your place of business?  What can you do in the future to improve upon what you are currently doing?  What is the value to your business in “getting it right?”  What is the cost to your business if you “get it wrong?” 

EARL BELL

EARL BELL is the author of, Winning in Baseball and Business, Transforming Little League Principles into Major League Profits for Your Company, which provides a roadmap to success for leaders that desire to build thriving companies in a very competitive 21^stcentury business environment.  Earl believes that “everything you need to know about business, leadership and team building can be learned from Little League baseball.”

Earl conducts workshops, coaches and consults with owners, business leaders and their teams, teaching them how to dramatically reduce the time it takes to improve profitability, customer experience, employee engagement and company value, while simultaneously increasing discretionary time and reducing both stress/employee burnout.  He believes the secret to winning in baseball, business and life can be summarized in a simple formula:  Winning = Service + Humility. His motto is that Winning in Business is a Team Sport!

Earl has served in the Chief Financial Officer role for numerous companies throughout North America. His personal passion is youth sports and he has coached 28 teams since 2002.  Earl is a CPA, graduated from SU (Seattle University) with a BA in Accounting and from the MILL (Mercer Island Little League) with a Master’s in Youth Baseball.

Earl Bell can be reached at  earl@earlbell.com and 206-420-5946

WHEN IS IT IMPORTANT TO BE AWARE – Taking on a new role or growing your employees

Most of us live in a world where we go unconscious from time to time.  Usually this happens out of habit or in to fear when something is new.  When we go unconscious, I mean that we do something without being aware of what we are doing…. Breathing is usually an automatic act and that’s a good thing.  Sometimes we go unconscious from boredom… (driven that stretch hundreds of times) and that may not be a good thing.   

Today, let’s talk about when it is important to be aware. In my role with Excell Puget Sound, I work with a lot of business owners.  They have usually started their companies or grown up in them, as family owned businesses. 

There are some roles, skills and ways they do things that are second nature.  You have those too.... things you do that you just don’t have to think about.  If you play golf and you are thinking about everything you do, my crystal ball says, “You are having a lousy round of golf!”

So choosing when to be aware, conscious and think about something is ultimately important.  The golf course is a bad place to try and practice. However, time at the driving range, doing exercises, thinking about what needs to be changed, modified and corrected can be very profitable time spent.  You get the idea... pick and choose when you are on automatic. 

I just watched a CEO with one of her reports.  She is really knowledgeable and good at what she does.  In this case, she was in a hurry.  By the time the conversation was finished, I noticed that the employee looked frustrated and had lost eye contact.  As good as this CEO is at reading people, she was unaware that the interchange had ended negatively.  

Here was a prime teaching opportunity lost.  The employee (I ran in to her later) told me she felt more dependent because of the directions received (translate that in to less satisfied with her job and less engaged in taking initiative).  This was a time that the CEO should have made a decision to be present, ask lots of questions and challenge the employee to come up with several solutions and recommend a course of action from one of them. 

Can you always take time? No.  If you can’t tell your employee that you either want to address the issue later or that because of time constraints, you are making a decision. At ExcellPugetSound we urge business owners to be clear about when and where you are teaching, or not.  If you are constrained, then  communicate what the impact is of tight time and do it before you “fix” a problem. 

Do you have redo’s in your company?  Do they include teaching moments and professional development?  I later suggested to the CEO that she ask the employee to raise the issue again at their weekly staff meeting and allow everyone to weigh in.  What are your techniques for getting a redo? 

The Red Truck Plan Starts With You

Today we have a guest blog from Earl Bell:

If you were to discover that a high level of business risk existed where only one person had the relationship, knowledge, skill or ability to perform a certain job task or tasks, would you do about it?” Taking this a step further, what if this applied to you in your role as CEO?” 

A harsh reality is that bad things happen to good people all the time.  Sudden and tragic accidents, or unexpected health issues like a stroke, heart attack or brain cancer can turn a company upside down overnight; that is if the company is not prepared for such an event.

My strong suggestion is to acknowledge this risk and proactively manage it by creating a red truck plan for the CEO role.  This means engaging with your leadership team to design, develop and practice an executable contingency plan which will enable others to lead in your absence. 

In doing so, you will accomplish a couple of things:

1.    Developing a red truck plan for the CEO role immediately enhances a company’s value by reducing the risk that future cash flows could be negatively impacted by the CEO’s inability or unavailability to lead.

2.    Leading by example sends a message to others in the organization that the CEO is serious about building redundancy in the business and that strengthening the team by reducing risk is important.  After all, winning in business is a team sport!

Building and preserving company value is a primary responsibility of the CEO.  My challenge question to you this week is this… “Will you commit to and engage your leadership team to create a red truck plan for your role as CEO?”  Assuming the answer is “yes,” know that this first step will make it much easier to get your leaders, managers and employees to do the same for their roles.  If fact, your leadership example sends a strong signal that running the company is a team sport which sometimes requires others to step up when asked! 

If the answer is, “no – I will not create a red truck plan for myself,” two questions to ask are; “why are you and your board of directors willing to accept this level of risk” and “what will happen to the company if you suddenly were not available to run the business?

I’m willing to bet that nothing but positive things come out of going through this red truck exercise throughout the company, starting with you.  Are you willing to bet otherwise?

EARL BELL

EARL BELL is the author of, Winning in Baseball and Business, Transforming Little League Principles into Major League Profits for Your Company, which provides a roadmap to success for leaders that desire to build thriving companies in a very competitive 21^stcentury business environment.  Earl believes that “everything you need to know about business, leadership and team building can be learned from Little League baseball.”

Earl conducts workshops, coaches and consults with owners, business leaders and their teams, teaching them how to dramatically reduce the time it takes to improve profitability, customer experience, employee engagement and company value, while simultaneously increasing discretionary time and reducing both stress/employee burnout.  He believes the secret to winning in baseball, business and life can be summarized in a simple formula:  Winning = Service + Humility. His motto is that Winning in Business is a Team Sport!

Earl has served in the Chief Financial Officer role for numerous companies throughout North America. His personal passion is youth sports and he has coached 28 teams since 2002.  Earl is a CPA, graduated from SU (Seattle University) with a BA in Accounting and from the MILL (Mercer Island Little League) with a Master’s in Youth Baseball.

Earl Bell can be reached at  earl@earlbell.com and 206-420-5946

www.excellpugetsound.com

Building Strong Teams

Today we have a guest blog from Earl Bell:

Top performing companies have highly functioning teams.  If you want business outcomes to improve dramatically in your company, build an action plan based on the idea that employees are NOT created equal.  

To begin the journey of creating highly functioning teams, start by taking time to separate employees into three categories:

1. Actively Disengaged:  This group hinders your company in a big way.  They are disruptive to customers, vendors, or co-workers.  If you were evil and wanted to destroy a strong company, its culture and values, you'd look for these people as your go-to individuals.

2. Going through the motions:  Most employees fall into this category  They are comfortable with and competent in their work, show up and participate when asked, but could be accurately described as biding their time until something better comes along.

3. Actively engaged:  These employees are passionate about their work and strive to improve dramatically the experiences of customers and co-workers, transforming ordinary results into extraordinary outcomes. 

Now that you’ve segregated employees into three categories, let’s discuss next steps:

1. Actively disengaged: Take a moment and add up the total compensation and benefits you are paying to actively disengage employees.  Then add to that the spillover costs resulting from customers who decide to buy from a competitor along with high performing employees who leave your company seeking a better working environment.  Now ask yourself, "How long am I willing to continue paying the cost of employing these actively disengaged individuals?"  My advice is to stop it and get rid of those who are cancerous to your company.  Until challenged, many CEOs won't do this - they will have all kinds of reasons to maintain the status quo.  Remember, there is a cost for doing nothing...

2. Going through the motions:  Invest the time to lead and inspire these employees to become actively engaged.  Building a healthy company culture is most important.  In addition, clarifying how the employee is important to the company's success, and then providing recognition and reward when they behave and preform in ways consistent with desired company culture and goals can build active engagement in short time.

3. Actively engaged:  What are you doing to attract and retain key performers?  What is your plan?  Is it effective?  What needs to change? What needs to stay the same?

Big picture -  the goal is simple.  Weed out disengaged employees while inspiring remaining employees to become or remain actively engaged.  The results will astound you!  My challenge to you is simple... "What will you do this week to begin the journey of building strong teams in your business?"

ABOUT EARL BELL:

EARL BELL is the author of, Winning in Baseball and Business, Transforming Little League Principles into Major League Profits for Your Company, which provides a roadmap to success for leaders that desire to build thriving companies in a very competitive 21^st century business environment.  Earl believes that “everything you need to know about business, leadership and team building can be learned from Little League baseball.”

Earl coaches and consults with owners, business leaders and their teams, teaching them how to dramatically reduce the time it takes to improve profitability, customer experience, employee engagement and company value, while simultaneously increasing discretionary time and reducing both stress/employee burnout.  He believes the secret to winning in baseball, business and life can be summarized in a simple formula:  Winning = Service + Humility.  His motto is that Winning in Business is a Team Sport!

Earl has served in the Chief Financial Officer role for numerous companies throughout North America. His personal passion is youth sports and he has coached 28 teams since 2002.  Earl is a CPA, graduated from SU (Seattle University) with a BA in Accounting and from the MILL (Mercer Island Little League) with a Master’s in Youth Baseball.