Selecting Players and Employees
I have to give credit to my friend Ray McCarthy for this one. Ray recommended First Break All the Rules in a StrengthCoach.com forum post and I bought both the audio and the book. I’m going to try Audible.com as this process is getting expensive. I think this book is a must read for any coach, business owner or business manager.
I’m going to try to hit some points over the next few days that really jumped out at me from the book. The first one dealt with a problem I see all the time. As coaches or employers we are always trying to fix players or employees. In First Break All the Rules author Marcus Buckingham says:
“Great managers would offer you this advice: Focus on each persons strengths and manage around his weaknesses. Don’t try to fix the weaknesses. Don’t try to perfect each person. Instead do everything you can to help each person cultivate his talents. Help each person become more of what he already is. ” p141
I think this is great advice and, would save a lot of us in coaching or in management a lot of headache and heartache. I think sometimes we get so focussed on what someone can’t do that we fire, trade or bench a great contributor out of our frustration at not being able to change them.
Buckingham goes on to say:
“This story describes a doomed relationship. The conventional manager genuinely wants to bring out the best in the employee, but she chooses to do so by fixing the employees weaknesses. The employee probably possesses many strengths, but the manager ends up characterizing him by those few areas where he struggles. “page 145
Read this and see if you don’t see just a little bit of yourself.
Michael Boyle's Strengthcoach.com Blog 
June 11, 2013 at 5:07 pm
[…] The Strength & Conditioning club grew to what it is today because of all the awesome people that helped me out. Although somewhat accidentally, I let everyone take part in areas that they were the most interested in. As it turns out, this is the best way to do things, as it fosters their natural desire and skill. This is summed up in a great quote by Mike Boyle, “Great managers would offer you this advice: Focus on each persons strengths and manage around his weaknesses. Don’t try to fix the weaknesses. Don’t try to perfect each person. Instead do everything you can to help each person cultivate his talents. Help each person become more of what he already is. ” Courtesy of https://strengthcoachblog.com/2011/04/27/selecting-players-and-employees/ […]
April 28, 2011 at 2:05 pm
I love this! Especially timely for me as I am ready to hire my first employee I will follow this advice. Thank you for posting.
April 28, 2011 at 9:22 am
I think the two quotes provided go a long way to describe the training industry. Assessments are used to point out the weaknesses and then, to fulfill their savior complex and stroke their own ego, the trainer will come to the rescue and force their solution on the client. Why can’t training be a process of exploration where the client can simultaneously flourish and perform some corrective-type routines along the way?
April 27, 2011 at 8:25 pm
Can’t make chicken salad out of chicken shit. Wait for the best, wave to the rest.
April 27, 2011 at 5:09 pm
Mike, I’ll always remember that great quote “find where they are successful and build on their strengths” that has helped me as a coach in the weight room, behind the bench and on the skills and drills.