The Team Members I Don't Worry About

True confession:  I am a worrier.   Now I wouldn't say that I dramatically over-index on the chart of world worry.  I do, however, concern myself with small details and big strategies.      I usually have my eyes open and ears alert for things that can, and do, go wrong.

In casual conversation with members of my team, I have come up with the ultimate test of whether we have the right team members in place.      Here's what I found myself saying. . ."If (this specific person or persons) is working. . .I don't worry about it."

It is absolutely true - when the right team members are on task, because of their track record and my knowledge of their work history - I don't worry about what's going on in that realm - allowing me to focus on other things.

So - what are the common characteristics of these individuals who permit me not to worry?

• Ownership:   they take both responsibility and pride in what they do
• Understanding of their role and contribution to the process
• Strong, reliable work ethic
• Ability to assess the big picture and execute tactics (both big and small) to make everything run better
• Ability to like and get along with their team
• Knowledge of when and how to reach out to ask questions
• Independent decision making that aligns with overall goals
• Good communication skills

What's missing from this list?  Perfection.    I don't need people to be perfect.     Bad things happen.  But, if we have the right people and the right attitude, these things are then fixed, we learn from our mistakes and move on. 

This recent understanding that a criteria of "not having to worry about it" if the right person is on the job has now taken a role in hiring decisions.     I find I am assessing potential team members through this filter and its supporting characteristics.

What's more important is that if we have people running parts of our business so we don't have to worry about it - in all likelihood the people who work with them are happy and on-task.

And that allows everyone to do more productive things than worry.

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My book "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is available on Amazon Kindle.