How to create a team (part 2)

Great Teams don't just happen - here is Part 2 on tips of how to create a Great Team...

5. Avoid the law of dimishing LEADERSHIP (Russian Doll Syndrome)

Surround yourself with people who are bigger than you are

• This suggestion is not for the insecure or paranoid. It takes a lot of emotional fortitude and self-confidence to recruit and empower people who are smarter, more competent, more edgy, and more connected than you are. But if you don/t, you and your organization will fall prey to the Matryoshka Doll Syndrome.
• A favorite among the Russian children, the Matryoshka Doll is a series o wooden dolls that get progressively smaller and smaller. open up the largest doll ans you'l find smaller, identical doll inside. Open up that doll and there is a smaller one yet. Some dolls ahve as many as 15 dolls inside.

6. Choose HEALTHY, competent team members.

Here are some characteristics of Healthy Competent team members...

• Emotional Health - it's importnat that you choose team members who are emotionally healthy. Just one emotionally unhealthy team member can poison the entire atmosphere of your team. Signs of emotional unhealth include uncontrolled temper, critical spirit, mood swings, unwillingness to admit wrong dong, controlling behaviors, territorialism, overly sensitive to criticism and correction ( thin-skinned), unable to accept correction, and others.
• Good People Skills - This topic is one of the soft skills a team member needs to have - it's non-negotiable. Choose people who are friendly, empathetic, good listeners, unselfish, encouraging of others, respectful, and accepting of others.
• Positive attitude - Choose people who have a "can-do" attitude and who are optimistic. Negative pessimistic people will be an emotional drain on the whole team.
• Good Character - Don't choose anyone who engages in unethical, immoral or illegal bhaviors. Also, choose individuals who demonstrate key character traits that are indispensible for leaders such as courage, initiative, decisiveness and optimism.
• Passion - Ideally your team members will have passion for whatever it is that you are asking them to do. IF you're asking them to serve on the Men's Ministry Team, they'll be passionate about men's ministry. But beyond that, recruit people who live passionately regardless of their situation or assignment. Choose people who are fully alive bc they will bring that energy to work with them regardless if the tak is appealing to them.
• Team Player - if your team is truly to function as a team and not just as a group of individuals you must recruit team players. Soloist are not welcome here! Recruit individuals who are willing to submit to the group, who have a desire to serve and prefer others, who relish team achievement more than individual accolades. Recruit people who "play well in the sandbox with others."
• Evident Gift - Peter Drucker advises, " When you look at a potential leader and don't see even one great strength, don't choose him - even if you see no great weakness." Often, we screen optential condidates by looking for flaws, and if we spot one, that person is eliminated, but this approach may result in a mediocre team, You must recruit leaders who are strong in at least one area; everyone should have an evident gift. Choose team memebres who "bring something to the table."
• Competence (skils) - Thie final trait to look for when choosing team members / leaders is technical competence. IF you're recruiting an organist to serve on the music ministry team, he needs to be a good organist. If you're recruiting someone for your communications team and her job is to develop the web site, choose someon who has the tech skills for the job. But notice that I've placed skills at the end of the list to consider...Oftern it's the first and only thin we look for, but it should be one of many.

7. Build a DIVERSE team.

• We are all prone to chooose people who are similar to us, but a team will be stronger if it is diverse. Pursue diversity of age, gifts, personality, gender, and background; look for unamity in values, beliefs and culture.
• ALL KEY POSITIONS FILLED - When building a team stay with it until all key positions are filled. When he was a manager with the Chicago Cubs Charlie Grimm reported recieving a phone call from one of his scouts. "Charlie I've landed the greatest young pitcher in the land! he struck out every mand who came to bat. Twenty-seven in a row! nobody even hit a foul until the ninth ining. The pitcher is righ with me. What should I do?" Charlie replied, "Sign up the guy who go the foul. We're looking for hitters!"

8. Consider CULTURE issues when choosing team members.

• Every organization has its own unique culture - the sum of its values, beliefs, and norms of behavior. Culture truns deep; its like the current of a wide and deep river - it may be unseen but it is a powerful force and difficult to change. It's not quite as fundamental as DNA but it is very primal. Pick people who match your culture.

Building a team isn't east or simple - but if you vision is grand enough or important enought then second to your vision is the people you pick to assist you in accomplishing it! Go Team!