The Best Way to Build a Great Team

• Teams with the best players generally win and these teams have some SUPERSTAR players.
• To get the Superstars, you need to RECRUIT them.
• Smart recruiting means identifying ALL the possible candidates. This includes those people who are top performers for your competition.
• If you limit your hiring to "free, available talent," you are missing out on many potential Superstars.
• It is unfair to generalize about the "free talent pool," as I'm sure there are capable people that are in the job market through no fault of their own.
• I'm equally sure that there are many candidates in the "free talent pool" because they didn't make the cut. Teams do not cut their Superstars; they hang on to them at all costs.
• Only by sourcing all possible candidates and then carefully scrutinizing their background can you be sure that your selection process is aimed at hiring excellence. When done right, this takes a significant amount of time.
• Professional recruiting also means that Superstar candidates need to be sold on the opportunity as something that will benefit them and their career goals.
• Superstars are smart and savvy. They don't like to waste time and they don't suffer fools easily. They need to be approached professionally, with solid facts and figures, and then sold on the opportunity.
• Hiring firms need to arm the search professional with solid information about the company, the position and additional career opportunities. This allows for a meaningful dialogue between both parties early in the process.
• A positive first impression followed by an exchange of supporting material by both parties creates the proper setting for more in-depth discussions.
• A properly orchestrated search should allow the hiring firm to select from a group of well-qualified and interested candidates, versus those people who were in the market and looking for a new employer.
• A well-planned and properly executed recruiting strategy will go a long way toward putting Superstars on your team.