How do you ensure exponential growth of your team? Leaders can’t blindly look for the talent to take their organization to the next level.

I have been using a number of tools within my company to ensure the proper distribution of talent within my organization. Watch the video to learn about some of my favorite tools that can make your teams more effective.

Team Building Tools

I have a big vision at RedZone to secure the lives of a billion people around the world, and that has to be done with team development. I’m involved in an entrepreneurial group that essentially coaches us on how to build self-managed companies, and a culture of self-management within the organization. This group has been teaching these skills for 35 years, and I listen closely because this is not about a natural skillset.

One of the things they have me and everyone do is a Kolbe test. It measures your innate action, what is your gear for action, your native wheelhouse. Are you someone that doesn’t need any justification or verification of data, you’re just a gut instinct person? Do you need to have a bunch of information first to justify the action? Are you an implementer? There’s the “idea” person, there’s the “make-it-real” person, and there’s the “make-it-repeatable” person. Which person type are you? What if I keep handing you projects repeatedly, but you’re not a “make-it-repeatable” person, you’re a “make it real” person? What if you have two or three idea generators in a room, but no one who can do something with these ideas?

That self-awareness has been working well and my team knows how “over the index” I am on QuickStart. My team members are supplemental and compliment that skill. It helps us become self-aware and flush out those pieces.

The other complimentary tool we use is CliftonStrengths (formerly StrengthsFinder). It is focused on what your team members’ unique strengths are. There is a psychological thought around “stop trying to make people’s weaknesses better”, but focus on where they are strong and “over-index” their strengths in yourself. It is about becoming more self-aware of strengths not weaknesses.

The Kolbe and CliftonStrengths are my favorite team building tools and I hope you can find some value in them for your own team building.

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