Cocktails with Carl

Written by Carl Monty, Director + Partner at June Co

Building the Perfect Team, A Never-ending Goal that Benefits Everyone

I often get asked what my #1 goal is as a business leader and owner of a company. That’s a question that used to throw me for a loop. How do you pick just one thing? Most people would dive right into the predictable answers; grow the revenue by an exponential amount, sell the company for x dollars, hit certain margin goals, or receive awards for achieving specific operational metrics. The list can go on and on. 

I can recall a specific meeting with a talented young designer when we started with our company. She was already doing great work and helping the company achieve some of its goals right away. Things were looking good for her and the conversation was going well. Then she asked me a great question, “what do you want to ultimately achieve with this company?”. I froze. A myriad of thoughts entered my mind but I couldn’t organize them properly. Feeling the pressure brought on by silence and needing to supply an answer, I blurted out, “Grow the company revenue and profits and then sell it in 10 years”. She immediately sat back in her chair and her brow furrowed. She looked deflated. I quickly knew I had made a big mistake and I couldn’t unwind it.

The error I had made was giving a self centered and egotistical answer. I’m sure her mind went directly to the business owner stereotypes; money hungry, selfish, and detached-among others. She was just going to be another pawn, used for the benefit of making the boss rich. That doesn’t sound like a great partnership.  

I learned a hard lesson that day. Sure, this designer stuck around for a while longer and continued to do amazing work. But she ended up ultimately leaving the company, taking her talents and experience with her. That was a loss. 

I’ve also learned how to answer that question honestly and in a much more meaningful way. Now I enthusiastically respond by saying, “My goal is to build the perfect team”. This sounds much more intriguing and prompts more questions about what it all means. 

If you ever played team sports growing up you may know what I am talking about. We use the word chemistry to describe bringing all the critical parts together. You’ve seen it in action; the 1980 men’s USA Olympic hockey team, the 1954 Milan High School basketball team (captured in the film Hoosiers), the Williams High School 1971 football team (Remember the Titans), and the 1999 women’s World Cup soccer team. All these teams had just the right mix of camaraderie, talent, grit, intelligence, confidence, and discipline to be champions. In other words, great chemistry. They also had something else. A charismatic leader that brought this unique mix of people together, inspired them, and coached them to victory despite the odds being against them. And it doesn’t need to be just sports that we use as an example. We all know bosses, managers, teachers, etc. who have inspired us along the way. But what specifically makes this such a great answer to the question, “what is your ultimate goal?”  

First, it’s a rallying cry. A simple mission that people can wrap their minds around. Whether you’re the coach or a team member, I think we would all agree that the concept of building the perfect team is an impossibility. After all, we are all imperfect human beings. This is more of an aspirational goal-a never ending pursuit of excellence and an admittance that there is always room for improvement. And therein lies the challenge. As leaders, can we inspire our teams by sharing a vision of the road ahead and it’s anticipated outcome? Can we get our team to commit to the idea of never-ending improvement? It sounds hard for everyone, but it’s also what unites us. Jim Harbaugh, the head coach of the University of Michigan football team uses a phrase that I repeat often, “better today than we were yesterday, better tomorrow than we are today”. I love that.

Once you have everyone on board, then the real fun begins. Because the truth is that the real joy is in the journey and not the outcome. The journey is where the dreams are created and stories are made. Where values are established and character is built. The journey is where we agonize and toil together. Where we laugh and cry together. Where relationships are cemented. The journey is when we learn new exciting things and life’s hard lessons. Oh yes, this is the good stuff. The stuff that means so much more than material things and financial gain.

So the next time a job candidate, employee, or business partner asks you what your ultimate goal is, drop the canned, predictable answers and take them on a journey. Tell them the story of the perfect team, how they’ll play a role, and all the rewards and riches they will experience along the way. They’ll join you in the pursuit, put the team ahead of themselves, and prepare to stand on that podium with the gold medal around their neck.