We’ve all been there in front of a group whether as the coach of a team or the leader of a company trying to convey a critical message while hoping against hope that the message is getting through!
As the President of Hallmark Abstract as well as the father of three children I have been faced with this role through the years.
With my children it was as a coach working to teach athletic skills and game strategy to kids as young as 10-years old while at the same time attempting to instill a drive to excel and give 100%, all of the time!
As they grew older it was also the challenge to instill the critical life lessons that playing time was not guaranteed and the potential for being cut was a real one not necessarily based on results but on effort.
In business the same basic rules of leadership apply only instead of game skills and strategy it is the corporate vision and philosophy.
Among other things it’s who we are as a company along with the corporate culture we seek to maintain, how we interact and conduct business with our clients, prospects and competitors, how we seek to build our business going forward and what each member of the firms roles and responsibilities are.
On the basketball court if there is no defense being played, no boxing out under the basket, poor rebounding and on offense players are just standing around with no idea as to where they should be going, it is a solid recipe for losing.
Substituting business for basketball court and using other action verbs the same theory applies to a company.
While a coach, like a manager in business, may have players and employees with differing personalities, skill sets and drive, at the end of the day it is the responsibility of those in charge to get the best out of every single one.
Finally, it is also critical to try and ensure that you have a deep bench of talent.
Mike Haltman, President
Hallmark Abstract Service