Great teams get the right balance between decision makers, drivers and deliverers.
Decision makers set the strategy. Drivers ensure the strategy is translated into action. They act as positive models and often lead ‘teams within the team’. They approach the leaders and say:
“As far as I understand it, the strategy is … My part and my team’s part in it happen is … Is that correct? Right, I will go and make it happen.”
Drivers then ensure the deliverers produce the goods. Let’s explore how you can make this happen in your team.
1) You can clarify the qualities you want in the drivers.
Great football teams, for example, always have a backbone of strong players who act as the manager’s lieutenants – both on and off the field. Emanating confidence and fighting spirit, they are what sports psychologists call ‘cultural architects’.
They always do their best and transmit these high standards in the way they behave, train and play. They demand a lot of themselves – especially when encountering setbacks – and expect others to give 100%. Woe betide any player who tries to swing the lead at the expense of the team. Drivers play a vital part in shaping great teams in sports, business and other fields.
One MD explained how he relied upon such people.
“Two years ago I became the MD of a mobile telephone company. Looking at the senior team, my first job was to find people who could act as a bridge between me and the field. Otherwise I would be spending all my time bypassing the poor senior managers and behaving like a cop. I looked for leaders who were able:
a) To communicate our vision.
b) To translate the strategy into tactics.
c) To be good models.
d) To lead high performing teams that delivered results.
e) To manage me.
“This final point was crucial, because patience is not one of my virtues. I need senior managers who can implement the strategy, keep me off people’s backs and guide their teams to success.”
Imagine you are leading a team. What are the qualities you want your drivers to demonstrate? You may want them to be positive, customer-focused, good leaders or whatever. Try completing the following sentence.
2) You can get the drivers you want in the team.
Generational shift provides an interesting challenge when it comes to employing the right drivers in a team. This is especially so when breaking-up one team and building a second-generation super team. You can then ask yourself:
a) Who are the present drivers that we want to keep – because they have to right attitude and ability to continue in this role?
b) Who are the ones who may need to move on?
c) Who are the potential drivers we can bring through the ranks and how can we get them up to speed?
d) Who must we bring in from outside?
e) How can we make this transition successfully?
Sometimes it takes months to get everybody you want in the team. During this period it is important to do three things.
First, to make sure the business runs successfully. Whilst you can rely on some key managers, you may have to manage others closely to ensure their teams deliver success.
Second, to encourage the key people you want to keep and behave fairly towards others who may need to move-on.
Third, to do everything possible to get the right drivers in place.
You will, of course, take these steps in your own way. Try completing the following sentences.
3) You can encourage the drivers to enable the whole team to achieve success.
Drivers have strong personalities, they need backing. When appropriate, it is useful:
a) To communicate the ‘What’. This is the picture of success.
You are ultimately responsible, so the overall ‘What’ will not be up for debate. Nevertheless, it can be useful to get some input from the drivers.
b) To communicate the ‘How’. These are the key principles to follow to achieve the picture of success.
You are also responsible for clarifying the key strategies, but it is possible to involve the drivers at this point. They will need to implement the plan. So it is good to get their ideas on the overall strategies and tactics.
c) To make clear contracts about the ‘Who’ and ‘When’.
Encourage the drivers to clarify their action plans for making the strategy happen; the support they need and the measures. Make sure they have the brief and mandate to do the job.
“Sounds okay, but how do you make sure people keep on track?” somebody may ask. Build-in monthly sessions for ‘course correction’. The drivers can present:
* The successes in the past month.
* The plans for the next month.
* The challenges they face, the potential solutions and the required support.
Providing ongoing back-up will encourage and equip the drivers to ensure the whole team delivers success. Try completing the following sentence.
Drivers act as the gears and translate the strategies into action. They bridge the gap between the decision makers and the deliverers. Getting the right drivers in place is a key step in achieving ongoing success.
Posted on Monday, September 26th, 2011 at 4:08 pm in Super teams, The Strengths Blog | RSS feed
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