The Great Eight: Talent

jugglers-by-pauline-gesta

(Today’s post is written by Rodger Price, owner of Leading by DESIGN, where I am a team member. It was originally shared on the LbD blog and is written for our LEAD 365 alumni, although all are welcome to read it.)

In order to be a great team, there are specific tasks that need to be done very well. The word “talent” describes what is required in order to achieve each of these tasks with excellence. Great teams have the right mix of people who have the talents needed to achieve these specific tasks.

John Wooden—the legendary UCLA basketball coach and one of the all-time best assemblers of any kind of team—was known for not allowing a focus to be put on any one talented superstar, but for always making sure the focus was on the overall team. But even with this reluctance to focus on great talent, Wooden is quoted as saying, “I’d rather have a lot of talent and a little experience than a lot of experience and a little talent.” As committed as he was to the character of the team, he knew the importance of having the right mix of talent.Continue reading

The Great Eight: An Introduction

Jazz Band by TheodoreWLee

(This post was originally shared at Leading by DESIGN, where I’m a team member. It is written for our LEAD 365 alumni, although all are welcome to read it.)

Throughout our year together in LEAD 365, we focused on three “buckets” of leadership—three areas that great leaders need to focus on:

  • Being a person worth following
  • Creating clarity around purpose/mission, vision, and values
  • Building a great team

In our building a great team sessions, we introduced you to a list of eight characteristics of great teams. Remember the details? No? The eight characteristics are what we believe the very best teams have, and what are necessary to build an amazing team. Here they are again to jog your memory:Continue reading