Steve Robinson, former Chief Marketing Officer of Chick-fil-A, once told a leadership class I was facilitating, “You hire culture. Did you hear what I just said? You hire culture.” Every great leader knows their success is largely determined by their inner-circle and the individuals they add to their teams. But how do you begin, especially if you are a smaller organization with limited resources?
Gonzaga University, located in Spokane, WA, has a total enrollment of just over 7,000 students. This is not a big school. Yet, despite being at a disadvantage compared to other Division I blue blood programs, their men’s basketball team has had 20 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and participated in the last five Sweet 16s. Head coach Mark Few has built a powerhouse. But how?
In today’s edition of The Athletic writer Dana O’Neil wrote an article entitled, “Fit, culture, family: How Mark Few and No. 1 Gonzaga scaled the mountaintop.” She detailed the school’s recruitment process. The lessons provided are applicable to any organization.
As O’Neil wrote, “The hard part isn’t figuring out where to cast. The hard part is learning how to cast.” Allow Coach Few to teach us how to cast well.
The following are 10 Practices Of Great Churches, Businesses, and Athletic Organizations Who Hire Well I gleaned from O’Neil’s article:
- Great Organizations Do Not Recruit Or Team Build Like Other Organizations – Gonzaga refuses to follow the norms of standard blue blood programs when it comes to roster building and recruiting,
- Great Organizations Recruit From A Specific Source – As you will read in the next point, Gonzaga and Coach Few methodically recruit from specific sources.
- Great Organizations Prioritize Teambuilding Over Just Acquiring Talent – Not everyone is a fit for your organization. Gonzaga does not waste time with players who do not fit their culture. Due to limit resources, their focus is recruiting from four primary areas – local talent, global players not recruited by domestic schools, transfers looking for a second chance, and graduate transfers
- Great Organizations Have Great Diversity – Player Corey Kispert said, “It’s what makes this place so special. It’s like a melting pot. That’s why I love it so much. I grew up playing with a lot of people who looked like me, from the same background as me. Here, it’s different cultures, backgrounds, but no matter where you’re from, it always works.’’
- Great Organizations Do Not Make Unnecessary Mistakes – Mistakes are good if they are connected to creativity and personal growth. However, Coach Few’s teams are often made up of experienced and mature players. As a result, the team rarely makes unnecessary mistakes.
- Great Organizations Still Think Small And Have A Narrow Selection Focus – Gonzaga has grown in size and has a larger budget reflective of that growth. However, the program still thinks small regarding its narrow recruiting focus. Assistant coach Brian Michaelson said, “Nobody recruits from a smaller pool. Nobody.’’
- Great Organizations Don’t Hire People. They Select Them. – Gonzaga, and other great organizations, weed people out during the interview process. Coach Few says, “We don’t work for everybody. And that’s OK. Both sides, we tend to weed each other out.’’
- Great Organizations Only Want People Who Want To Be There – People should feel a calling to your organization. Gonzaga only selects people who truly want to be part of the program.
- Great Organizations Have A Pressing Need And Subsequent Development Plan For Everyone Who Joins Their Team – Do you have a personalized development plan for everyone you hire. Coach Michaelson said, “There’s gotta be a spot, and there’s gotta be a specific need to fill. For us, at least, it doesn’t work to just bring in a guy, throw it together and say, ‘We’ll figure it out later.’ They have to fit what we need.’’
- Great Organizations Are Led By Great Leaders Who Attract Great Talent – Everything rises and falls on leadership and Coach Few is one of the great coaches in college basketball. He has had the opportunity to leave on numerous occasions yet has stayed. The size, scope, pace, and rhythm of Gonzaga and Spokane fit him perfectly. He has come to truly embody the region.
What is one thing you learned from the list above which will help you better select talent in 2021?
During the 2019 college football season, fans were given a gift when legendary coach Urban Meyer joined Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff preview show as a studio analyst. As a three-time national championship head coach, Coach Meyer’s ability to deliver complex leadership principles with brevity and concise terminology created a compelling experience for educated and “smart” fans. Throughout the season, I captured Coach Meyer’s best leadership quotes from this weekly show. I wanted to make them available to you in this new complimentary resource Urban Meyer 2019 Fox Sports Big Noon Kickoff Ebook.
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