(Tips for team building)
For a Finance Director, finding the right people for your team takes time and effort, and having the right people on your side to help you find great new team members is equally important. You see, it’s not just about the talent: it’s about having the right mix of talent.
In a sports team as much as in a finance team, people’s roles are different and complementary. It’s never about one single person. After all, how many times has a team spent millions signing superstars but then the blend and balance of the team is never quite right?
It’s clear that you can’t have a team full of Michael Jordans or Mohamed Salahs. You need other people to play effectively in supporting roles. People like Dennis Rodman, a star in defence, who did everything on the basketball court to get the ball back. And Jordan Henderson, who did the same for Liverpool when they were last at their peak.
The point is, as a Finance Director, you will need a few superstars in your team, but equally, you will need other players that can drive the performance.
Another great example is the band Coldplay. Chris Martin steals the limelight, but in fact, the brains behind the whole operation is the music director and drummer, Will Champion. He invented the flashing armbands that light up during the songs, turning the fans into active participants in the stadium. Now that tech has been licensed for use, the world over.
Your team members will want to know that they can excel in their role (whatever it is) and grow into it, and also that their unique set of skills can be recognised and utilised to create significant impact!
It’s the cause behind the cash, so to speak. When someone sees the impact they can make, they will pursue it even above the income they can make. Making a real impact is exciting in a way that big bucks on their own can never be. That’s why, when you recruit a team with impact as its focus, you end up with major players.
Henderson was almost traded in for Dempsey because the manager who originally signed Henderson had been replaced. To his credit, Henderson chose not to go when given the option, saying that he’d stay and fight. In fact, Liverpool almost won the title a year later, and many cited Henderson’s suspension as the key to why they missed out with only a few games to go. Henderson had seen the impact that he could have on the team and made himself indispensable. Shame he got suspended!
Coldplay today are ranking as one of the most forward thinking acts in the history of music by ensuring their latest tour was carbon neutral. They give 10% of their income to charity and causes that align with their collective concerns. Today, they continue to sell out their tours. Their uncompromising focus on ‘cause’ and the impact that they can have is more important to them than cashflow (which has kept flowing, incidentally)!
Your team builds your dream. That’s why you aren’t looking for just one but ‘many’. It’s not about one strong leader smashing it all the time, because working collaboratively protects the leader from burnout.
A team united by shared values is a fantastic working model. There’s nothing better than having a team that is willing to work together and win as a team rather than individuals constantly seeking to be No.1.
Any leader can achieve this kind of working model by playing by these five core tenets:
ONE: Leaders lift.
Ask yourself: How can I help my team deliver? What do they need to do the best possible job?
Then provide them with the tools, (pep) talks and trust they require to get it done.
TWO: Clarity creates confidence.
Ask yourself: Does my team understand my expectations? Do they know what they are responsible for?
Be exceptionally clear on your expectations and on their role, and then reward them for fulfilling both.
THREE: Memories create momentum.
Ask yourself: Does my team know when we’re winning? Do I create memories out of great moments?
Make sure to celebrate your wins together to ensure they enjoy them more and remember them. Feel it together.
FOUR: Purpose makes progress
Ask yourself: Is everyone working ‘on purpose’? Are they fulfilling their own and not just yours?
Their work should allow your people to express their purpose and build purposefully. Ask them regularly!
FIVE: Values make you valuable.
Ask yourself: Does your team see values as behaviours? Are those behaviours rewarded, regularly?
Having a clear set of company values means that you can reward those who work by them, and address failure without getting personal when they aren’t being met. Your strength as a business is that everyone works according to your shared values.
These five core principles help leaders build greater teams and allow everyone to see their worth and impact in your organisation. Too often, companies get caught up in chasing goals only to compromise the enjoyment of the journey.
When you operate this way you take everyone with you, create better results and rewards for all, and ultimately retain talent!
You may well have a great front man or front woman, but the collective ultimately provides the strong foundations you need.
At Core3, we use technology to amplify your brand to ensure that the right potential team members come across it! We create dedicated landing pages, employer brand videos, virtual job descriptions, social campaigns, co-branded advertising, and thought leadership events, all to attract the candidates that you are looking for to complete your team.
So, if you are a Finance Director and you need help growing the depth of your team, why not get in touch?
