Have you ever noticed that all great leaders are supported by a great team? I can’t think of a single great leader I have worked for who didn’t have a sixth sense about talent - they all had a knack for building teams that surpassed most other leaders I have observed. 

But, is it really a sixth sense? Or, is it a skill built and refined over years of trials and tribulations? The truth is, it may be a little of both.

I’ve met great talent evaluators over the years. Some of them had the skill wired at an early age. I’m sure they were better at evaluating talent in their 20’s and 30’s than they were in their teens, but they seemed to have been born with this precious skill. I’ve also met leaders who, quite frankly, weren’t very good at evaluating talent while they were in their 20’s. Many of these leaders, however, improved at this skill over time. These leaders are now top notch talent evaluators, and they are incredibly successful leaders because of it. 

I’ve learned many lessons either by direct conversation with these leaders or by observation of their habits over time. The six that highlight how these leaders build great teams include:

1. The fit with the team is vital to the success of the candidate

Have you ever noticed that the most overall talented team rarely wins the trophy? This year the Kansas City Royals won the World Series, last year it was the San Francisco Giants. Neither one of these teams were the fastest runners, most powerful hitters or had the best pitching staffs in the game, yet they won. You could say the same thing about the winners of the NBA Championship last year, the Golden State Warriors. I’ve seen this phenomenon time and time again - in fact, I would guess that, in the last 10 years, the preseason favorite to win a sports championship rarely accomplished that task. More and more, it’s the teams who are best at making sure the pieces fit together that win the trophy. Great leaders can quickly determine how a candidate will fit with his or her team. They ask questions such as, “What skills does this person have that will fill weaknesses on the team?”, or, “How will this candidate’s personality fit with the team? Will they be an active participant in our discussions? Will they bring a fresh perspective?”, and so on.

2. Don’t let compensation concerns get in the way of a great hire 

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a leader let the perfect candidate slip away because “we don’t have the budget to afford that person.” True, we all have budgets to be aware of, but, within reason, there’s almost always a way to fit a great candidate in to your organization. Even if it’s a position where the candidate seems over-qualified, great leaders will figure out how to recruit them into the organization and start grooming them for the next open position. Great leaders love to find these candidates, because they know great overall results will always outweigh a slight bust in their payroll budget.

3. The bench can never be too strong

I’ve never heard a great leader say, “I’m afraid to hire her, because I think she’ll outshine me and eventually take my job.” Great leaders know that the stronger their team is, the better the team will perform, and improved results will follow. Great leaders are always thinking two steps ahead and know that they always need a succession plan for every position - even their own. It’s pretty tough to have a strong succession plan if you don’t have any strong in house candidates ready to move up.

4. Culture fit is incredibly important

It’s not just the team that the candidate must fit with, they also have to be a fit with the culture of the company too. You could have the smartest, most talented candidate present themselves for a position, but if they can’t mesh with the company culture that candidate will likely fail and create unneeded havoc throughout the team and the company. That is why many great leaders have their own peers or their other team members conduct interviews with candidates. The more perspectives you have about a candidate the more you can be sure whether or not they will fit with the culture.

5. Coach-ability is a must

Great leaders are usually great coaches and they understand that all team members need coaching. Coaching is the best way to raise the level of performance of each team member and make them the best they can be. If the candidate is someone the leader does not think will listen to them and take their coaching seriously, then by all accounts they will never be able to improve their performance for the future. That’s not a great position for a leader to be in, as they now have someone who may never move on, clogging the pipeline of all the potential candidates below them. Once this happens the job satisfaction of many associates, not just the candidate, will lag.

6. The ability to learn can be just as important as having the required skill set 

Some of the best hires I’ve ever seen were people from outside the industry but were fast learners. These candidates always bring ideas and ways of thinking that are different from the multifamily industry. An outsider’s perspective can be a great thing to cultivate inside any organization. 

As you can see, nowhere in these habits are the statements, “Just hire the person that fits the budget and has done the job for years,” or, “Hire someone exactly like me.” I’ve seen those philosophies in practice over the years, but it’s tough to recall any time it really worked out well for either party. That’s not to say the person “exactly like me,” or the one who, “fits the budget and has done the job for years,” is the wrong candidate. On the contrary, they may fit the bolded statements above, and may be the perfect candidate. Great leaders, however, do not use those statements or philosophies when they are building great teams. 

Our guest blogger, Dave Brackett is a consultant who has led teams at companies such as Oakwood Worldwide, Starpoint Properties, Archstone, and The Irvine Company. He is available for assignments, speaking engagements, birthday parties, and can round out foursomes when needed. He’s also been known to fill in as a doubles partner on short notice.