The Authority to Choose & Grow Team

300-500 staff, depending on the time of year. 31 recreation centers scattered throughout Denver. Dozens of pools and programs all meant to serve thousands of kids, families, seniors, etc. Status of the title that says I'm in charge. Couldn't get one damn thing accomplished!

I only lasted 2 yrs in city government. The civil service system stymied most opportunities to choose, promote, reward, discipline, or terminate my team. This was a hard but well learned lesson in leadership. Never accept a leadership position unless I have the authroity to choose and grow my team!

As the leader of a group, if the job and goals are far reaching enough, the leader is only as good as her/his team's exectution. Choosing and growing your team becomes a little more challenging for a leader who has layers of managers who also need the ability to choose and grow their teams. My philosophy is that "As the CEO I retain the right to overrule any personnel decision" (and any other decision, for that matter)...who to hire, promote, reward, discipline, terminate, etc. After all this entire organization is my team. Yet, if I want to grow my team's experience as leaders, I must allow my leaders to exercise their judgement in creating and growing their own teams. Sometimes their mistakes are more powerful learning tools than their successes. As my managers proceed through their hiring process, I make it clear that I will eventually want to know who are their top 3 candidates, the order of priority preferred by that manager, and the specific set of criteria and reasoning the manager is using to recommend their top choice and priorty order. I must use my ability to overrule sparingly, and if used I must thoroughly explain my reasoning. Of course this is only if you want a respectful and healthy work environment for your whole team.

Probably the biggest challenges for this philosophy is that we are often so pressured by our lack of time and patience to allow a more time consuming process, and our risk tolerance for making a mistake.

While choosing and growing your team involves some of the imporant decisions you'll ever make, and the most intense emotions that will swirl in your head and heart night and day, you will also experience some of the most significant joy when your team members and your team acheive at a level that inspires.