Introduction to the course

Whether your role is Manager, HR Business Partner or CEO, you know that having the right people in your team is essential. That means the right attitude, experience and skills to be able to get the job done, whatever that job is. Though it is rare to have everyone at the same skill level at the same time, having a diverse team with different experience will help increase the teams potential. A team is in constant flux, as new members enter, roles change, the work changes and people upskill and develop. Knowing how to maximise the skills, motivations and experience of your people is a never ending task, but a vital one. 

Which ever team you inherit or create, you will need the right people to do the right tasks. It would be great if you could hire the perfect person every time, but that is just unrealistic. Your needs might fit with the right people now, but what if things change, as they inevitably will, over time? How will you ensure your people stay upskilled, motivated and loyal?

Delegation is a brilliant way of keeping peoples skills and knowledge updated and relevant so you all become more effective together.

People are unique and have different skills, preferences, styles and experiences. Your job is to look for the ideal person, or ideal future person who wants partner with you for the future, and then develop them into the role. Workforce planning will help you identify skills and people for the future. Nurturing and developing your people to meet those needs is not only essential, it is also incredibly rewarding. When a team evolves and develops together, sharing moments and stories about the journey, a sense of real belonging develops. 

Of course people will come and go, bringing new knowledge, experience and sometimes a breath of fresh air. Your role is to continually assess the team, the people and ensure you have the right people, in the right place, at the right time. 

By delegating tasks, responsibilities, projects and ownership to others, you are ensuring that you have the right people, doing the right work, at the right time.

The right people

If you could imagine your ideal employee, what would be their key attributes? Perhaps you are lucky enough to have them in your organisation already. Get clear on what makes an ideal team member for you. Patrick Lencioni says the ideal team player is humble, hungry and smart. They are humble enough to ask questions, share the credit, and say sorry when they make a mistake. They are hungry for success, to achieve and improve. They are smart, with emotional and relationship intelligence to work as a team member. 

Now I agree, if you want collaboration and teamwork, these are your ideal people. You might want solo workers, or people who just take orders. Perhaps your ideal team member loves variety and opportunities, or they are systematic and like stability. You need to define what the right person looks like for your present and future organisation. 

Right Place

What is the right place to get the work done. You might want everyone working on the same site, so are geographically fixed. The nature of the work might only be able to get done on a site. This might be fine if you have an abundance of talent in your area, but if you don't you need to consider what would make someone commute or even relocate to your area.

For many organisations, place is has been called into question. With remote working been tested en-masse and global talent pools opening, your right place might not be a geographical one. Some say that we should look for "Reasonable People, Global Space, Convenient Time and Right Cost" as a new approach to talent.

Thinking about the work you do. What makes your place the right place? What makes it attractive to others? What makes them want to work at this place as opposed to another place?

Right Time

This is always a challenge. The world changes fast and so do your talent needs. Finding the right people at the right time is always tricky. Especially if you are waiting on long recruitment processes and resignation periods. That's why we advocate developing staff from within, constantly scanning for talent externally, and using consultants, freelancers and short term contractors. You need to flex between long term people and short term expertise when you need it.

Good tools to consider to help you through this include: 

• Career development conversations
• Skills mapping (which will we cover later in this course) 
• Development conversations
• Personality profiling 
• Defining the ideal team member

If you do all of this then you are well on your way to forming and leading a perfect team.