Responsibilities Of A CEO
CEOs of organizations have three primary responsibilities – creating and maintaining culture, increasing shareholder value, and recruiting great talent. This ability to identify, properly evaluate, recruit, and then retain great talent is the lifeblood of your organization.
The question then becomes what exactly do you look for in potential team members?
An Unusual Bible Study
Each week, I have the privilege of joining approximately 80 professional and amateur baseball coaches and scouts for an online Bible study. This time together is put on by Mike Linch, the absolutely delightful senior pastor of NorthStar Church in Kennesaw, GA. It is my favorite 45 minutes of the week! A sampling of what it looks like is shown below:
If you are a baseball scout or coach from the high school to MLB ranks and want to learn about spiritual leadership with like-minded individuals, please reach out to Mike at mike@northstarchurch.org. He will send you all the details of how to join us. Trust me, these are humble, Godly men. Being in their presence will make you a better person.
This past week Mike asked the group what makes a great scout? The answers were fascinating. As I listened to these accomplished leaders and subject matter experts, I gleaned 5 Skills Great Talent Evaluators, Scouts, and Recruiters Must Develop. I want to share their thoughts with you.
5 Skills Great Talent Evaluators, Scouts, and Recruiters Must Develop
People Skills
If you sell clothes, believe it or not you are not in the apparel business. You are in the people business. If you sell cars, you are not in the automotive business. You are in the people business. And if you are a baseball scout, you are not in the athletic business. You are in the people business.
Oakland A’s scout Rich Sparks was the first to answer when he said people skills are required to be an excellent scout. Rich understands that great scouts and talent evaluators understand people and have an innate ability to connect with them. To be successful in whatever business you are in, you must be able to do likewise.
Observational Skills
Coach Keith Madison is in THREE Hall of Fames – the Kentucky High School Baseball HOF, the University of Kentucky HOF, and the American Baseball Coaches Association HOF. Since 2003, he has been with SCORE International where he combines two of the passions in his life, faith and baseball. He is simply an incredible leader!!!
When asked what makes a great scout, he said, “Observe everything… They notice all the little things like body language.” What Coach Madison and all successful talent evaluators know is how a person does anything is how they do everything. Little things matter, so make a big deal about them.
Discipleship Skills
A successful talent evaluator, scout, or recruiter sees what a person can be, not just what they currently are. Coach Madison continued by drawing a comparison to church discipleship. You see something in a player, and as a coach, want to bring out the best in them. He talked about “wanting them to grow and go to another level.”
Discernment Skills
Kenny Rodgers once sang, “You’ve got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em. Know when to walk away and know when to run.” Chicago White Sox area scouting supervisor Kevin Burrell mentioned you know you’ve arrived as a scout “when you can walk away from players others see as prospects.”
When you have the confidence in your ability to stand alone in your opinions, you have the potential to be a quality talent evaluator. This confidence flows from your experience and a proven track record of talent acquisition. You know what talent looks like even when public opinion thinks otherwise.
Sales Skills
Former Gardner-Webb head baseball coach and current Sociology Professor at Catawba Vally Community College Rusty Stroup discussed passion. He mentioned great scouts and recruiters, “Share about the program because they’re passionate about it.” He mentioned the most successful people share about the organization. They don’t have to sell it.
This is a brilliant insight!!! All great recruiters share, not sale.
People Skills. Observational Skills. Discipleship Skills. Discernment Skills. Sales Skills. Develop these 5 skills and you will have a chance to become a great talent evaluator, scout, and recruiter.
Three different times the aforementioned baseball scouts and coaches bible study is featured in my latest book 2021: The Year In Leadership – The Stories of Faith, Athletics, Business and Life Which Inspired Us All which is currently available for pre-order!!! Each chapter is filled with wisdom and insights from the leaders who both succeeded and struggled during 2021. I takes those lessons from all walks of life and gives you practical steps on how to best use them in your own leadership. As you will discover, the stories are entertaining, challenging, inspiring, and sometimes even sobering.
Get this must-read book TODAY by clicking HERE or on the image provided. It releases April 12th.