The Secret of Teams: What Great Teams Know and Do (BK Business) by Miller Mark

Author:Miller, Mark [Miller, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Published: 2011-09-08T23:00:00+00:00

No Wasted Talents

Debbie walked into the meeting room the next day with apprehension obviously painted on her face.

“What’s wrong, Debbie?” Javier asked. “You look as though you have a million things on your mind.”

“It’s that apparent, huh?”

“I’d say so.”

“Let’s start by creating a little community,” Jo said.

“Great idea!” Debbie agreed.

Tom was the first to speak. “My new grandbaby said, ‘Da Da.’” He was giddy—this was his first grandchild. He also had new pictures to share—he passed around his phone so everyone could take a look.

Then, as a huge surprise to everyone, Steve spoke next.

“Things haven’t been good at home. This job is killing me, and I’m glad I’ve not been fired.”

The team was stunned. No one knew what to say. Debbie decided to cut short the formal sharing time and jump in to try to help Steve.

“Steve, thanks for your transparency.” Turning her comments to the team, Debbie continued. “I knew after our last meeting that in addition to a skills gap, we might also have a talent issue as well. Steve, I think we all know you are not happy in your new role. So, Steve and I had a conversation about his life, his experience, and his contribution to the team.”

“What’d you decide?” Bob asked.

“We didn’t. We—no, I decided to bring the issue to the team. Steve, thanks for bringing it up today. Steve and I discussed that we would have to find a way for him to contribute on this team, or he’d have to work somewhere else.”

“Really?” Sally said. “That feels harsh.” She was struggling with having this conversation with the entire team.

“I’m sorry if it sounds that way. However, as your team leader, I owe it to you as a team and as individuals to help you win. If you’re in the wrong job or the wrong company, it’s highly unlikely that you can win. I don’t want you to get to the end of your career and realize that you wasted your talents.

“Did you guys know that Steve is an engineer?” Debbie asked.

The team members shook their heads in disbelief.

Sally asked, “If you’re an engineer, why were you assigned to our team to start with?”

“Apparently, during the merger we didn’t have an opening in Engineering,” Steve said.

“And based on Steve’s talents and experience, the organization didn’t want to lose him,” Debbie added.

“What are your talents?” Bob asked. The rest of the team looked at Bob, surprised at the directness of his question. He knew what they were thinking.

He said defensively, “Listen, if we want to keep Steve on the team, we’ve got to figure out how to use his skills. We can’t do that if we don’t know what he’s good at.”

“Well,” Steve began very slowly, “I am an engineer.”

“What kind of engineering?”

“I had a double major in college—mechanical and industrial; and my master’s degree is in statistics.”

“Man! I never knew you even went to college,” Javier said.

The group laughed out loud.

“No, no,” Javier quickly added, “I didn’t mean you weren’t a smart guy. You just never told us anything about your past.

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