Five Things To Think About For Five Minutes on the subject of RECRUITING OTHERS FOR YOUR TEAM.
You've been elected to serve as a student leader but you can't do it all by yourself (otherwise you wouldn't be leading!). You need to put your team together. But where do you look? Who do you choose? Consider these five things to look for during your recruiting effort.
1. Potential Leaders.
You will want people who may not currently serve in a leadership position, but exhibit the potential to be a leader. In order to do this, you must begin to look at people not as they are, but as they could be or become. Identifying potential is somewhat of a sixth sense. If you don't have this ability, find someone who does to be your eyes and ears to spot these individuals. One of the reasons you want potential leaders on your team is because you want to spend time developing the leaders who will carry on after you have left your position.
2. Diverse talents and strengths.
You might be tempted to put people on your team who think like you, act like you, and agree with you. But that only creates a weak team that lacks perspective. Find people with different backgrounds. Seek out people who excel in areas you are weak in. Remember, your first priority isn't to create a team where you're well-liked, but to create a team that's well-rounded.
3. Recruit others to a cause, not a position.
A leader must communicate the vision of the team. If you ask people to be on a team and oversee a certain task without framing it in the context of the Big Picture...they won't be as passionate about what they're doing. People want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. They want to make a difference and feel like what they're doing is making a difference. As the leader, show people how they can do that through their role on this team.
4. Look for people who have succeeded elsewhere.
I'm a firm believer that certain people can be successful no matter where you plant them. Intelligence and savvy move with a person from place to place. Find someone who has risen to the top in another area and he or she can probably do it again on your team.
5. Clearly communicate levels of commitment and expectations.
When you put your team together, clearly state at the beginning what you expect of those on your team. Make sure that your team doesn't have to guess what your goals, vision, and strategies are. Nothing will sap the momentum and vitality of your team more than failing to clearly communicate with each other.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: How important is it to get the right person(s) on your team?
SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT: What else do you need to consider in recruiting others?
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Tim Milburn
Student Leader Trainer & Tool Maker
www.studentlinc.net
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Use this material in conjunction with the 5x5s worksheet.
Download the 5x5s Worksheet here.
What is 5x5s? Read more about it here.
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