How to Have a Team of ‘A Players’

“When I reviewed my staff, I noticed that I scored 50% of them at 4 or 5 on a Trustworthiness scale, with 5 being the highest score. 40% of the staff were at a 2 or 3, and I worry about their work quality all the time.”

This is what I heard from an executive leader in a recent coaching call.

What’s the problem with this picture?

It’s not at all what this leader expected when they took on this new job! They were expecting to have a full set of “A Players,” a group of professionals capable of managing themselves, allowing the leader to play a supportive and mentoring role.

Instead, they find themselves feeling that they can only trust half the staff to deliver high-quality work, while the other half requires a lot of “managing.” This is time-consuming, and they are left with a continual concern about whether the next quality mistake can be found before clients are affected.

Which leader wants to go through their work with worries like this? No-one, I suspect.

Here’s what I said to this coaching client:

”People are doing the best they can, given the circumstances.”

In other words, people do want to do good quality work in a professional manner. But something (or some things) are holding them back from meeting this goal.

My leader has to make a choice. Do they want to:

1. Spend a lot of time supervising these staff members, worrying about missing costly mistakes?
2. Help the staff move on, and hope that their replacement will perform at a higher standard?
3. Develop the staff members so that they can, and do, consistently deliver excellent work?

Here are my thoughts about these options…

1. Supervise more closely and hope to catch mistakes: This is a depressing scenario, operating on an assumption of low trust and low competence. The performance of these staff will pose a perpetual headache for the leader. They will always have a nagging worry that the next missed mistake will cause a lot of problems and be expensive to repair. No thanks!
2. Replace them and hope for the best: This is unrealistic hope. It’s not always easy to move someone on (or out), and the process can be unsettling for other staff. And what if the new hire exhibits the same challenges? What if you belatedly discover that it’s not the capabilities of the person, but rather it’s the context of the job itself? Now you’ve unsettled one person’s life, spent a bunch of time on recruiting their replacement, and you are no closer to solving the issue.
3. Develop people to become ‘A Players’: What if you started with the assumption that everyone working for you IS trustworthy? That they are doing the best they can, given the circumstances. And that, with your support, they can develop and deliver consistently excellent work? Wouldn’t you want this outcome – for the staff member and for the team as a whole?

Here’s what I’ve learnt about developing people to become high-performing, trusted, members of your team.

1. Set clear expectations and goals: Clearly communicate performance standards and objectives, allowing staff to understand what “A Player” performance looks like in their role.
2. Provide regular feedback and coaching: Offer frequent, constructive feedback on both strengths and areas for improvement. Use coaching conversations to help staff develop new skills and refine existing ones.
3. Assign challenging stretch assignments: Give staff progressively more complex and important tasks to stretch their abilities and build confidence. Provide support while allowing them to take ownership of outcomes.
4. Foster a growth mindset: Encourage staff to view challenges as opportunities for growth rather than threats. Reward effort and improvement, not just results.
5. Create shadowing and mentorship opportunities: Pair developing staff with high-performing team members or leaders to accelerate learning and provide role models for “A Player” behavior.

Let’s be honest with each other. These measures will not result in overnight change. And they will require your time and continued attention, in the short term.

I do believe that these are important and necessary investments that pay dividends over time. They will require less time and mental effort than letting someone go and trying to recruit and onboard their replacement. And it will lighten the sense of worry and concern that you may have about quality upsets.

So: If people really are doing the best they can, let’s make sure the circumstances enable them to thrive and excel!

What’s Next?

• Run a self-assessment on your readiness for leading change and growth.

I’d like to introduce you to a simple tool for looking at your bandwidth and capacity for leading change.

My assessment tool, “Taking Root: Assessing Your Readiness for Leading Change and Growth,” is all about preparing yourself for change – whether expected or unexpected! 

You can use it to take stock of your own approach, as the basis for a discussion with your team, or as an engagement tool for your whole organization. 

Download it for yourself here: https://rcachangeadvisors.com/downloads/

• Learn more about the three ways I work with change leaders and their teams.

Have you been curious about how you can work with me? Well, I’ve just added some new information to my website that describes the three ways in which I can help leaders like you. Read more:

1. 1. 1. 1. I support Individuals through Leadership Coaching
         2. I develop Leaders through Group Coaching and Learning Programs
         3. I enable Stronger Organizations through Effective Teams