Top Management Story

Writen by Rick Dacri

Football season is just about upon us and many of us are thinking about another Super Bowl championship. One doesn't have to be very old to remember when the Super Bowl and the New England Patriots were names that were not said in the same sentence. The Packers, Cowboys, Steelers, 49ers were champions, but New England? Yet after three titles, we have come to expect a championship every year.

How did we get this way? Scott Pioli, who is the Patriots VP of Player Personnel shed the team's secret in a recent interview. He and Coach Bill Belichick have a philosophy that they will always build a team that competes for a championship. This is not a short term philosophy of win this year and worry about next year later, but a philosophy of winning now, while always keeping an eye on the future. A big part of this philosophy is talent acquisition. Pioli's job is to get the talent for the coach.

The talent they go after is special. It is talent that fits with the Patriot's belief system. Once assembled, the coach must then build a culture in the locker room that is in line with the philosophy of the organization. The culture of the locker room is key and everyone must buy into their overriding philosophy.

Belichick believes that the best players are going to play now, but that the team is always developing their players to be ready to play whenever they are needed. In a highly physical sport like football, players must always be ready to play.

Each player understands his job and his role. The team looks for competitive players who are mentally tough and who embrace the team's philosophy. Players who do not share this philosophy go. The Patriot's goal is simple: build a cohesive team because teams win championships.

So what can we learn from the Patriots? Four key points:

1. Organizations must have an overriding philosophy to guide them in how they operate their business.

2. All employees need to buy into this philosophy and hiring decisions must be based in part on whether the candidate can adhere to this philosophy. Any employee, new or current, who does not embrace the philosophy, must go.

3. All employees know their jobs and the roles they play in the organization.

4. The manager's job is to put together the best available team for today, while simultaneously preparing for the future.

While the Patriots may seemingly have an endless supply of talent who want to play pro football, most employers do not. All of us are faced with a labor shortage and the problem will only get worse. The baby boomers, who make up a significant percentage of our workforce, are beginning to prepare for retirement and there are few workers who are ready to step in. One of my clients commented on some of her recent retirements by saying it is like watching history go out the door. Her employees are getting older and she questions who will be there is 5 years.

Faced with a critical labor shortage, many employers are hoping that if they raise wages they may be able to fix the problem in the short term. However, getting into a bidding war is a fight most cannot win. There will always be someone bigger, with deeper pockets who will win this game. And frankly, hoping is not a good business strategy. The only way to avert a crisis is to start doing things differently. Recruiting the same old ways, hoping to find candidates in the same labor pool in which everyone else is fishing, will not result in more candidates. Your recruitment must be strategic. The types of candidates you are looking for and the places you will find them will require nontraditional approaches. Working with fewer, more skilled workers is part of the answer. Efficiencies and technology are also key.

Focus your efforts on developing your talent. Organizations should realize that developing their talent through work experiences and development programs are more likely to keep their people—and that's a better alternative than becoming the farm club for other organizations.

Employers are faced with a critical challenge. At a time when there are fewer people entering the workforce, organizations have more people preparing to retire. The time to take proactive steps to address this crisis is now.

Begin the process by identifying the key positions in your organization and then assessing whether you currently have the talent internally. Implement initiatives to develop your people. Create a bench. If you don't have the talent, begin plans to find the talent on the outside. And lastly, take care of your high potential employees to ensure that they remain with you.

Remember, the Patriot's philosophy of developing a team that can win today, while always preparing for the future, has proven to be quite successful. It works.