One of the great lessons I learned in building a team came from hearing John Maxwell talk about how important it was to let your team and organization feel like they were winning and having victories. Seems obvious but often times in companies you will see a degree of the “ship is sinking” mentality spread almost in the hope that it will push staff to work harder or buckle down.
Now add to that the sports analogy of playing for a championship, title or a ring. How many times have we all seen athletes push through all sorts of adversity and pain to help their teammates and team win.
Surely there are correlations to this in business.
In 2002 I decided to change everything about how I led and managed my company. I went with a 3-pronged approach:
- Created monthly, quarterly and yearly goals that each had group celebrations attached
- Added a very aggressive profit sharing plan based on individual performance
- Focused on building leadership teams with team captains
The team celebrations played a huge part. We had modest celebrations for the monthly goals we hit (but still fun), more aggressive for quarterly, and big time celebrations for yearly goals (we called this our Super Bowl goal) including both beach and ski vacations for our team and their families. These celebrations were shared equally by all. From the new intern to our highest paid staff leader. It built major camaraderie and also created great teamwork and a spirit of wanting to hit our goals as a company.
The profit sharing also had a major impact on the overall performance and attitude of our organization. I created my own 10-point interview and grading system that helped me create accountability and inspire growth while providing the team with more financial opportunity.
And, of course, the leadership team was a critical piece in putting this all together. Every good team needs its Michael Jordan. The player that the other players look up to and who leads by example. The actions and example of your team captains speak louder than any owner’s words often can.
This transformation of how we operated as an organization proved to be one of the major reasons we were able to not only grow but sustain our growth and build a such a great staff who loved coming to work. And it all began with John Maxwell’s comment, “everyone likes to win!”.
Now you can have internal seminars all day about teamwork but you also have to have a way to let people play for something (and for each other) and be rewarded when they win.
To Your Better Future!
Kyle Wilson
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Kyle Wilson is the founder of Jim Rohn International and YourSuccessStore, he also is the co-author of Chicken Soup for the Entrepreneur’s Soul. His new venture is Lessons From. To learn more about becoming part of the Lessons From eBook series (plus receive multiple free gifts!) click here! To connect with Kyle through social media click here.
