How to Build a Successful A-Team

Running a company is indeed a lonely job. CEOs and family business members have all the responsibilities of the company’s achievements on their shoulders and in this current economy, that is a heavy weight to bear. The main pain point each CEO faces, regardless of the company size or industry, is their people. Companies understand that their biggest asset is their workforce and rather than having a large potentially ineffective team, having a small team made up of A-players allows the CEO to concentrate on business growth confident that their team will implement the business plan. But how do you build an A-player team? In the first instance, you need to identify who on your team is currently an A-player. You do this by measuring how each individual score against 2 axis – their fit against the company “core values” and their current “productivity” in his/her role. A-Players fall into the grid that indicates high fit against both measures. This exercise also identifies your current C-players, those that score extremely low on both axis. Action needs to be taken urgently to avoid a common mistake company’s make, falling into the C-player trap. The number 1 reason A-players leave a company is the perceived tolerance of C-players (often due to disciplinary reasons or requirements to address C-player behaviours).g