When we talk about the concept of differentiation, we are usually referring to product or service differentiation. Like, what makes our product or service different (and better!) than our competitors’ product or service. This is important for sure. The concept of differentiation is not reserved for products or services. Indeed, we can co-opt differentiation and apply it to our organizations through the lens of attracting the best potential team members. Just as our customers are trying to figure out what makes our stuff unique and valuable, so too are potential team members trying to figure out what makes our organization unique and valuable. Training programs? Opportunities for quick advancement? Flexible working arrangement? A clear and compelling mission? Strong culture? Effective leadership? Safety? Opportunity to do challenging work that matters? These, and many more, are some of the metrics they are using. The question is: Do we spend any time creating a coherent set of differentiators? Or, do we just throw up a job description on Craigslist and see what happens? Great future leaders spend less time fishing for great team members. Instead, they create an organization that systematically attracts the best.
With your teams, don’t get out of the way, do this instead
"Get out of the way!" I often hear some version of this sentiment when talking about building a culture to incentivize high performance teams. "You have to find the right people, equip them, and then get out of the way." People who talk about getting out of the way...