S03E002 - The Right Way to Hire the Right People
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Monday, October 13, 2014
How to Become the Most Valuable Player on Your Team -
By Michael Hyatt
http://michaelhyatt.com/most-valuable-player.html#more-27369
All the major sports leagues celebrate their best players. But what if there were a Most Valuable Player award for your team? Would you take home the prize?
When I was CEO of Thomas Nelson we established different awards for individuals, service groups, and profit centers. The winners received public recognition, banners, trophies, and prizes.
I loved giving these awards. Without the contributions of these valuable team members, our company would have made measurably less progress in achieving our mission. Instead, we achieved more as a directly result of their efforts.
I don’t know the criteria for Major League Baseball’s MVP award. But after decades of leading teams, I do know what works for companies, nonprofits, small organizations, ministries, and creative collectives looking to make a difference.
Let’s be clear about one thing up front: It’s not about being a hotshot. We have all been around people with tons of talent who were a liability to the group. Talent, as John Maxwell says, is never enough.
Here are seven tips for becoming the most valuable player on your team—even if you don’t think you’re the most talented member:
Play till the whistle blows. Don’t walk off the field in the game. Even if you’re behind—especially if you’re behind—you can make a winning contribution. But you’ll never do it if you quit early.
Practice good communication. For me that all comes down to clarity, responsiveness, and frequency. Be clear, don’t bottleneck information, and keep everyone who needs to know in the know as often as they need to know it.
Work hard. More accurately, work harder than you think you need to. Doing the minimum will win no points with people who are putting in extra effort. If you have more to give, do it.
Share your best. If you want to serve your team members, don’t hold back. Creativity, talent, learning, insight—they can make all the difference in the final outcome, so share your best stuff.
Own your mistakes. Responsibility is the mark of a strong team player. If there’s a problem and it’s yours, own it. Accountability frees people to work on the problem, not fester about the one who created it.
Affirm others. Team spirit is critical for victory, and everyone on the team is responsible to improve the mood if possible. Catch others doing good work and call them out.
Be positive. By its very nature, cynicism kills teamwork. Unlike constructive criticism, it’s defensive and self-indulgent. It’s designed to protect the cynic at the expense of everyone else. A positive attitude about problems is the best way to help the team get past them.
To achieve its goals, a team needs members who give their all, give their best, and play to win.Michael Hyatt
Michael Jordan said talent might win games, but it takes teamwork to win championships. You may not have any control over the level of your talent, but you have a lot of control over your character and how you interact with your team.
To achieve its goals, a team needs members who give their all, give their best, and play to win.
http://michaelhyatt.com/most-valuable-player.html#more-27369
All the major sports leagues celebrate their best players. But what if there were a Most Valuable Player award for your team? Would you take home the prize?
When I was CEO of Thomas Nelson we established different awards for individuals, service groups, and profit centers. The winners received public recognition, banners, trophies, and prizes.
I loved giving these awards. Without the contributions of these valuable team members, our company would have made measurably less progress in achieving our mission. Instead, we achieved more as a directly result of their efforts.
I don’t know the criteria for Major League Baseball’s MVP award. But after decades of leading teams, I do know what works for companies, nonprofits, small organizations, ministries, and creative collectives looking to make a difference.
Let’s be clear about one thing up front: It’s not about being a hotshot. We have all been around people with tons of talent who were a liability to the group. Talent, as John Maxwell says, is never enough.
Here are seven tips for becoming the most valuable player on your team—even if you don’t think you’re the most talented member:
Play till the whistle blows. Don’t walk off the field in the game. Even if you’re behind—especially if you’re behind—you can make a winning contribution. But you’ll never do it if you quit early.
Practice good communication. For me that all comes down to clarity, responsiveness, and frequency. Be clear, don’t bottleneck information, and keep everyone who needs to know in the know as often as they need to know it.
Work hard. More accurately, work harder than you think you need to. Doing the minimum will win no points with people who are putting in extra effort. If you have more to give, do it.
Share your best. If you want to serve your team members, don’t hold back. Creativity, talent, learning, insight—they can make all the difference in the final outcome, so share your best stuff.
Own your mistakes. Responsibility is the mark of a strong team player. If there’s a problem and it’s yours, own it. Accountability frees people to work on the problem, not fester about the one who created it.
Affirm others. Team spirit is critical for victory, and everyone on the team is responsible to improve the mood if possible. Catch others doing good work and call them out.
Be positive. By its very nature, cynicism kills teamwork. Unlike constructive criticism, it’s defensive and self-indulgent. It’s designed to protect the cynic at the expense of everyone else. A positive attitude about problems is the best way to help the team get past them.
To achieve its goals, a team needs members who give their all, give their best, and play to win.Michael Hyatt
Michael Jordan said talent might win games, but it takes teamwork to win championships. You may not have any control over the level of your talent, but you have a lot of control over your character and how you interact with your team.
To achieve its goals, a team needs members who give their all, give their best, and play to win.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
A Question That Changes Everything
By Michael Hyatt, Sept. 17, 2012
In 2003, I was named President of Thomas Nelson. It was an extremely busy time. I made some major changes to my executive team and had two vacant positions. As a result, I essentially had three jobs.
One morning on my way to work, I grabbed my computer case in my right hand, a fresh cup of coffee in my left, and headed downstairs to the garage to leave to work. Four steps from the bottom, I slipped on the carpet. Without a free hand to grab the stair-rail, I tumbled forward. The next thing I knew, I was flat on my fanny on the landing.
I wasn’t immediately aware of any pain. However, my dress shirt and tie were soaked in coffee. I remember thinking, Shoot! I’m going to have to completely change my clothes. This was particularly frustrating, because I was already running late, and I had a very busy day ahead of me.
My wife Gail heard me fall and came running. “Are you okay?” she asked as she raced down the stairs to help me up.
“I’m fine,” I assured her. “However, I’m afraid I’ve made a mess.”
“Don’t worry about it,” she offered as she helped me up. “I can clean this up while you get changed.”
When I put my weight down on my right foot, I let out a yelp. “Oh my gosh! I think my ankle is sprained.” As it turned out, it was more than sprained. It was broken.
My day was, of course, scuttled. In fact, the next ten days were scuttled. I had to have surgery, including a plate and six screws to repair the damage. In addition, for three months I had to wear a therapeutic boot (in lieu of a cast). This couldn’t have happened at a worse time.
At this point, I could have asked myself several questions:
Why am I so clumsy?
Why did I have both hands full?
Why does this have to happen now?
Why did I have to be in such a hurry?
What did I do to deserve this?
The problem with these questions is that they are completely unproductive and disempowering.
They are natural, of course, and probably even necessary. It’s all part of the process of grieving a loss. But ultimately there are better questions.
One of the best questions you can ask when something negative happens is this:
“What does this experience make possible?”
Do you see the subtle shift? Suddenly, your attention moves from the past—which you can’t do a thing about—to the future.
It is also an acknowledgment that nothing happens by chance. Everything has a purpose. Even the bad things can have a positive impact, when we open our hearts and accept them as “part of the plan.”
In my particular case, a broken ankle had several positive benefits:
I couldn’t go to work for a week, so I got some much-needed rest.
I had time to set up a new blog and start writing on a regular basis.
I got to board first when flying and usually got to upgrade to first-class—for free.
I learned first-hand about the challenges you face when you are in a wheel-chair or on crutches.
I was forced to slow down and “smell the roses.”
I saw my colleagues take more initiative and gained a new appreciation for them.
I got to meet several people I would have otherwise never met, including an amazing surgeon who gave me a whole new perspective on what it means to integrate your faith with your profession.
I had a ready-made conversation starter, when I met people I didn’t know.
The bottom line is this: you can’t always choose what happens to you. Accidents and tragedies happen. But you can choose how you respond to those situations. One of the best ways to begin is to ask yourself the right question.
