“I face a tough decision,” said one leader. “Should I stay with my present department or look elsewhere for new challenges? Over the past two years we have built a tremendous team and won many awards. As a result, several of my key people have been headhunted. This leaves me with a dilemma. In some ways I want to stay on, because I love the work, but it will be hard to improve on our previous success. Have you any suggestions?”

Imagine you are a leader who faces such a situation. Every team member will need lots of energy to build a second generation super team. So let’s consider some themes to explore before embarking on such a journey.

1) You can make sure you have the right passion, purpose and principles.

“I found it exhilarating to build my previous team, but rejuvenating it would be difficult,” said the leader. “This would call for some tough decisions, especially about people.”

Imagine you are a leader. The first question to ask is: “Do I really want to build a second super team?” You can start answering this question by focusing on the themes of passion, purpose and principles.

* Passion.

What are the things you feel passionately about? Would you be able to follow any of these passions leading such a team? What are the exciting things the team could achieve? Would you be able to learn, grow and go into new dimensions? Would you be able to build on your strengths and do satisfying work? How do you feel about building a second generation super team? Rate your passion for doing this on a scale 0 – 10.

* Purpose.

Second generation teams need a ‘cause’. They need a compelling purpose – something they really believe-in. People must feel a sense of ownership in that ‘cause’. As the leader, however, you must provide the context for shaping a compelling story. Bearing this in mind, consider the following questions. What would be the team’s story? What would be its picture of success? What would be the benefits of achieving these goals? On a scale 0 – 10, to what extent do you feel the team could have a compelling purpose?

* Principles.

The purpose is the ‘what’ – the principles are the ‘how’. So what would be the key principles the team could follow to reach the goals? Everybody must be able to say: “The goal we are aiming to achieve is: ________. The key principles we will follow to reach this goal are: 1) _______ 2) _______ 3) _______. On a scale 0 – 10, how confident do you feel about being able to clarify and get commitment to those principles?

2) You can make sure you have the right people.

Great leaders know that – even though they may try their best – they are judged by their people’s performance. So they must put the right people in the right places to get the right results. Bearing this in mind, ask yourself the following questions.

What is the kind of spirit you want people in the team to demonstrate? For example, you may want them to be positive, professional and peak performers. How can you find such people? What are the specific strengths you want the different people to bring? Looking at your own style as a leader, what kind of person do you need to complement your talents? If you are a visionary, for example, you may want somebody who is a good co-ordinator.

Imagine that everybody in your present team left and offered their services back to the team. Who would you hire and what would you hire them to deliver? What would then be the team’s strengths? What would be the gaps? How could you build on the team’s strengths and compensate for its weaknesses?

Try answering the following questions. On a scale 0 – 10, how confident are you about getting the right people in the team? What are the steps you can take to make sure the rating is at least 8+/10? The quality of your people will play a key part in determining whether the team achieves success.

3) You can enable people to be professional, solve problems and achieve peak performance.

Let’s assume you have got the right people. Success then calls for focusing on professionalism, problem solving and peak performance. Let’s explore these topics.

* Professionalism.

Your role is to enable people to do professional work. This calls for taking the following steps. First, to communicate the team’s story, strategy and road to success. Second, to ensure people make clear contracts about their best contributions towards achieving the goals. Third, to enable people to be professional and deliver their part in achieving the picture of success. This means people need:

* To know the principles they can follow to reach the goals.

* To translate these into practice by doing the right things in the right way every day.

* To perform superb work, provide great customer service and achieve the picture of success.

Try answering the following questions. On a scale 0 – 10, how confident do you feel about people being able to perform professional work? What are the steps you can take to make sure the rating is at least 8+/10?

* Problem solving.

Part of your role is educating people: a) To be proactive and, if possible, prevent problems happening; b) To find creative solutions to challenges; c) To manage crises successfully. Try answering the following questions. On a scale 0 – 10, how confident do you feel about people being able to solve problems successfully? What are the steps you can take to make sure the rating is at least 8+/10? The quality of decisions they take when under pressure will have a profound affect on the team’s future success.

* Peak Performance.

You can enable people to follow the principles, translate these into practice and deliver peak performance. Super teams often go beyond achieving their stated goals and leave a legacy. Sometimes they do great work then add that touch of class. Sometimes they provide learning experiences and lasting memories for the team members. People move on and apply these lessons to build future super teams.

Try answering the following questions. On a scale 0 – 10, how confident do you feel about people being able to deliver peak performance? What are the steps you can take to make sure the rating is at least 8+/10?

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So now it is time to consider. Do you really want to build a second generation super team? If so, what would be the benefits for you, for other people – such as the team members and the customers – and for the organisation? What support would you need to do the job? How could you get some early successes? What would be the team’s legacy? On a scale 0 – 10, rate the extent to which you want to build the second generation super team. Make sure it is at least 8+/10.

Building a super team is relatively simple. This doesn’t mean it is easy, but we know what works. It is important: a) To have a compelling story, strategy and road to success; b) To implement the right strategy with the right people in the right way; c) To be serious. This latter point in crucial: many teams say they are serious, but they aren’t. People must be prepared to do what is necessary to reach the goals. It takes sweat and tough decisions to deliver success

Building a second generation super team can be more challenging, but it is also possible. Everybody must know what is involved, however, and want to create something special. People can then follow their passion, translate it into a clear purpose and deliver peak performance.

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