I’m thinking about team-building again…

Conventional wisdom says that:

• A players hire A players
• B players hire C players
• C players hire losers

You see the problem… If you don’t hire exclusively A players then your entire company will quickly fill with losers, dragging you and your company to the grave.

It’s a good thing there’s an easy solution, right? Identify the B and C players (and any losers that have slipped through the door) and don’t let them hire anyone. In fact, don’t even let them interview anyone. Problem solved! In fact, the problem is better than solved, because as long as you keep track of the B and C players, you can give them the assignments that the A players don’t like to do. Just don’t let them anywhere near a job candidate!

Problem is, none of this thinking helps explain what an A Player is in the first place.

The reason you want A players has almost nothing to do with hiring. The reason you want A players has to do with performance. The problem with B and C players is not the fact that they hire poorly (which is often true), or even that they prefer to work with those of lesser caliber than themselves (which is also often true). It’s the simple fact that they are not 100% into the game.

Here’s how I define (and identify) A players (leaning on the “game” metaphor a little longer):

• An A Player wants to play his/her best game possible.
• An A Player wants his/her teammates to play their best game possible.
• An A Player wants his/her team to play the best game possible.
• An A Player has the right skills for the position he/she plays.
• And an A Player works at improving those skills.

Bottom line, it’s about commitment and improvement. For me and my teams, anyway.

- Bandit