Back Page: Building a Better Team

When someone asks you how to get to the airport, how would you tell them to go? Maybe your way is different than a way someone else would tell them, but there’s probably a reason why you choose that way – it’s probably what you perceive to be the most efficient way to get there.

“In business, we try to tell people how to get to the airport,” says Jason Cupp, a Kolbe-certified growth consultant who spoke about building a better team at the Tropical Plant Industry Exhibition in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. in January.

We all want our businesses and operations to run as efficiently as possible, but Cupp posed an important question to his audience.

“Do you force people to do things the way you want them to versus the way that comes natural to them?” he asked.

It’s an important question and one that can make a big difference in your organization. The most effective organizations are ones where employees aren’t afraid to do things in the way that works best for them.

“Fear-based leadership is dangerous,” Cupp says.

Another element to building a strong team is recognizing what you’re good at and what others are good at and letting everyone play to their strengths. Cupp, at one point, wanted to learn how to play guitar. He took lessons, and he practiced, and he struggled and struggled to get better. Finally, his teacher told him to stop and that he wasn’t going to teach him how to play guitar anymore because he was just bad.

“When it doesn’t work, you have to let it go,” Cupp says.

And as his guitar sat in his living room one day, a friend picked it up and began just naturally playing. Aside from wanting to beat him with the guitar in jealousy, Cupp realized that some people can naturally play the guitar, and some people can’t – and it’s the same in business. What may not come natural to you, may be easy for your other team members, and what your team members may struggle with, might be a breeze for you. It’s important to utilize all these strengths interchangeably.

He says we all need to strive to create a true team in our operations, but what does that look like? He used two examples – a bowling team and a basketball team. A bowling team is one where you have individual contributors, but the members don’t have to work interdependently – they all have their individual performances that come together only for reporting purposes. A basketball team mentality is a business where success is dependent on others, members rely on others for contributions, and members of the team work interdependently.

For more: Jason Cupp, www.jasoncupp.com