John seemed to be on the fast track for his company. He was being recognized for drawing the top talent from his business competitors. His division was beginning to look like a chess board with all back row pieces. No pawns on John’s team, all captivating leaders. He had assembled a team of winners, gifted, talented, frontrunners. This was a success story in the making. Or so it seemed. Within a year the wheels began to fall off. John’s team was struggling to meet the demands of productivity not to mention the chasm between reality and their goals.

How could this be? Such a team of top talent. It was like having the number one draft pick for every position on the playing field. The first thought on people’s minds was, “This team is too talented. With so many top talents on one team, no wonder they could not work together.” But this was not the case. The biggest downfall of John’s team was John. John had become an Empire Builder.

Liz Wiseman, in her book “Multipliers” shares that Empire Builders are those leaders who attract top talent, but stifle that talent by underutilizing the talent, hoarding resources, bringing in good talented people for the leader’s benefit. They bring in top talent to make themselves look good. Each one of these detriments will lessen productivity until the best talented people leave due to lack of purposeful fulfillment and utilization. As word gets out it is difficult to attract quality talent.

Instead follow these six guidelines in building a fruitful winning team.

• Recruit and hire based not only on what each person can bring to the team. Hire based on how each person can complement the team and how the team can complement the talents of each member.
• Utilize the talent of each individual on the team. If you always need to be the smartest person in the room, – you are not – you will stifle the creative flow of the combined players of your team weakening morale.
• Intentionally invite input from all team members with a genuine aim of recognizing and utilizing “best ideas”, no matter where they come from on the team.
• Provide all the resources each person needs to succeed in making the team successful. Encourage individual growth in all areas of strength and potential for every team member.
• Give feedback and congratulations at every level. With every small stride made in moving the team toward its goals, congratulate both privately to the individual and publicly in front of the whole team.
• Do not take credit: Pass the credit and shoulder the responsibility. Regardless of the amount of effort you had in a success, never take credit for yourself. Always pass the credit down the line. Likewise, even if something went wrong that you had absolutely no involvement in, shoulder the responsibility.

Don’t be a self-empire builder. It will cost you in the end. Instead, follow these six guidelines and you will be a people builder. Your teams will be stronger, productive, and effective in accomplishing every task and goal assigned. I guarantee it.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life. Click here to receive this blog in your email inbox each Tuesday.