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John Van Etten, CGM

May-June, 2002

As a sports fan it seems to take forever for your favorite team to become a dynamic winning team - as soon as they are on top of their league - they fall from grace, if you are lucky they might even win a few! Even the Yankees have off years or years of waiting before the talent matures and the team hits on all ten cylinders - (with my national league bias, I almost came out with nine cylinders!). As managers, we are the talent scouts, coaches and fans, we nurture the team through different growing exercises, and we prepare them for the winning season. For us however, ever season has to be the winning season. Effective management is year in, year out consistency!

How do we get there? How do we stay there? Every successful manager I know, and through PGMS I know a lot of them, they have many common bonds. Effective, successful managers lead by example, they are supportive, honest, fair, always consistentb and they have great people skills.

The talent scout is always looking to improve their team: they network with colleges, universities, recruit interns, meet and network with educators and other professionals. They know birds of a feather travel together. When I hire a person that is extremely competent I ask them if they have friends that are looking for work - chances are pretty good their friends have similar personalities, they’re dependable, they have strong work ethics, etc. When I interview supervisory positions I like to hire people that have strengths where I am weak and vice versa. The interview is the right place to be explicit about job expectations and individual accountability, your company’s goals, your professional goals as well as their personal goals.

The coach continually evaluates the team’s performance and strives to make it better. We do so by listening, asking, empowering and including peoples input. We create an environment that is receptive and responsive to ideas and creativity. We interpret group dynamics: I like to cross train positions, it’s not only a good strategy as a contingency plan, but allows us to understand everyone’s roles and abilities. The coach goes to bat, leads by example, and sets the standards. This will build strong teams and gain respect. The coach nurtures. This can be accomplished in many creative ways, from a sincere pat on the back, good job, letter of appreciation, etc. I try to balance my efforts to help each individual reach their personal goals. That could be continuing education, certifications, and even career advancement. I like to aggressively promote my staff and continually recognize them and praise them for their efforts. People will only grow if we give them room to grow and the support they need.

Fans hate to see their favorite players move on! It is a fact of life and we should be proud that we sometimes lose great people, for we have not really lost them, but we have improved the industry by producing winners. Just like exceptional teachers, professors, coaches and other life mentors - a great boss will never be forgotten! Nor will a winning team!