Book the Week: "The Ideal Team Player" by Patrick Lencioni

All businesses out there want team players, but what exactly is the ideal team player and how does a company go about finding the right person? 

The book begins with a story of Jeff, who has been picked by his uncle, Bob, to take over his construction business when Bob was forced to retire due to health issues and upcoming surgery. However, Bob had left Jeff in somewhat of a predicament. The business was doing extremely well, so well that it had two MAJOR projects lined up. Jeff, alongside with his two other upper level administrators (Bobby and Clare), knew they had to hire a lot of people, including another senior management position. 

One of the top priorities of the company (VB) under Bob's leadership was teamwork and stressing the importance of being a team player. It was something that Jeff wanted to continue to push at VB. But first he, Bobby and Clare had define a team-player. 

Coming up with their model of the ideal team-player and the type of person they wanted at VB, they put it to use to find their new senior manager. They quickly were drawn to a fellow who had loads of experience in the industry, Ted Marchbanks, a man who had recently retired from a bigger firm. Ted checked off all the boxes, but to Jeff there was something missing that kept him from pulling the trigger and hiring Ted. 

One of the biggest conversations that he had was with Clare's assistant, Kim. When asked what she thought of Ted, Kim mentioned that she thought there was something off about him. On the day of Ted's interview, the two of them were in the lobby for 15 minutes and he came across as less than sociable. Kim's interaction with Ted confirmed Clare's earlier suspicion when he had no idea who Kim was after Clare dropped Ted off, following their interview, for his next one. 

There are three things current manager can from this one piece of information from Kim. First off, why was there no small-talk between Kim and Ted in the lobby? Did Ted think it was beneath him to chat with with receptionist? There's a red-flag right there. Why would you want someone on your team who belittles a fellow colleague just because he holds a higher title? Probably not. 

One could also make an argument that it's not in Ted's personality to engage in conversations as such, but this throws up a red-flag again. If Ted's being looked at for an upper management position, then it is paramount that he have some interpersonal skills, be friendly and engage in some small-talk while he's waiting. 

Second clue that comes out of Kim's piece of information is, Jeff valued input from EVERYONE on his staff not only his senior managers. Those front line workers (i.e. receptionists, custodians) are the face of the business. They are the people that everyone sees and they see everyone. They know exactly what's going on at any given time during the day and their opinions need to be valued. 

And third, Kim's involvement was huge. She actually, personally, knew people who worked at the firm Ted was previously at, who she could ask for information about Ted's character and personality. This is important for all hiring managers to take into account. When it comes to references, job candidates will only list people who will give them a favorable recommendation. If you want to truly know what a person is like, instead call the mutual acquaintances - people who you know work in the same company, but the candidate does not know you know them. You'll get real feedback and information this way. (Learned this last point from a former athletic director.) 

It's a must read book for any manager, coach, or someone who wants to be an elite manager or championship coach.