johnmaconline

Building your team is a quest, and it’s critical to your success. 

If you’re Google, Facebook, or Apple, it’s easy. The people will come to you. The A-listers will be pounding on your door to get in. All you have to do is select, and if you make a mistake, no big deal. Get someone else. The supply is never-ending.

But you’re not Google, Facebook, or Apple. You don’t have a long line of A-listers banging down your door. Don’t worry. You can still build an amazing team. In fact, you can probably build a better team. 

Of course, you’ll need to go about it differently. Ironically, you’ll turn it around on them and be the one to think and act differently. You’ll channel some Billy Beane (finding undervalued and under-the-radar talent by thinking differently), mix in a little Herb Brooks (getting the most out of who you have — warriors), and spread some Walt Disney on the top (finding people who will grow to be amazing — sprouts).

The first thing to understand is that Hiring is Not Dating. 

What’s next? 

Let’s go find the warriors and the sprouts. 

The craftsman knows that mastery itself is a skill.

Since it’s a skill, it can be learned.

Mastery, and by extension craftsmanship, follow curiosity, openness, others, effort, diligence, and time. Mastery doesn’t require special talent or genetics. Sure, those ingredients can accelerate or guide you toward the path, but they’re not necessary.

Each day, each project, and each challenge is an opportunity to learn, grow, and improve. Skill development requires it.

Because mastery isn’t just a destination, it’s the journey itself.

Masters acknowledge others and Luck/God/Universe.

The master knows he is connected to something bigger than himself. The master is one part of the whole.

Sometimes things fall into place for her, and she acknowledges this. She may consider it God, or the Universe, or fate, or the muse, or even incoherent luck, but she knows that the whole has contributed. She does not drink her own bathwater.

He also knows that he is not self-made and there is no such thing. The very concept of self-made is oxymoronic.

The master asks for review, takes criticism, and adjusts. Not for external validation but for growth.

He always gives credit to others and the whole. He is thankful for those before him and with him and who come after him. The master makes gratitude part of his daily practice.

The master knows she is not alone, nor could she have made it alone.

Masters remain flexible and current.

The master questions his own beliefs and his own methods. This may shake him to the core. He does it anyway.

Beliefs are beginning assertions, and methods are test procedures. She knows that sometimes they are wrong. As she produces, she adjusts accordingly, and her output changes.

The master also knows that skill sets and philosophies are fluid and ever-changing, so he keeps up. He doesn’t keep up so that he knows the lingo and can talk a good game. He keeps up to discern progress from bullshit.

He employs progress. He eschews bullshit.

A master knows when to be flexible.

A craftsman masters his domain.

The master turns from consumer to producer.

He does stuff, and he continues to participate. He takes the information, finds his voice in it, and starts producing. The master makes the phone calls.

The master gets comfortable being uncomfortable. She tries the things that might not work. 

Mastery requires going through the hard. There are no shortcuts, or ways around, or tunnels underneath. There is only through. 

The guru on the mountain may be a master, but not because he’s got a robe and a label. He’s a master because he’s dug into it, struggled with his own beliefs, argued with his teachers and peers, written about it, lived it, and is willing to teach it to you. The guru produces. 

The social media influencer may be a master, but not because she’s beautiful and has a team of people around her. She’s a master because she’s built a network, mastered her distribution channel, mastered her content, adjusts the content accordingly, and exposes herself to the emotional danger from the public. The influencer produces.

The master may talk a good game, but maybe not. Because talk doesn’t matter. 

Masters are producers.

A craftsman masters his domain.

What is mastery? How good do you need to be? How do you become a master?

Mastery starts with a beginner mindset.

The master started by setting his ego aside and becoming a beginner.

The beginner is humble and recognizes he will need help. The beginner steps out of his comfort zone. He sets aside what he thinks he knows and is willing to start fresh.

Beginners gather information. They learn from other masters. They may go to school, read books, listen to podcasts, and take courses. They definitely invest.

But information only takes you so far. Information cannot make you a master.

The amateur stops at beginner. He stops at gathering the information.

The amateur can make good dinner conversation, but he hasn’t made a contribution that matters. That’s where the line is drawn, because across the line of contribution lies the emotional danger.

A master starts at the beginning. 

I’m committed to helping you work the way you want.

Because I want to work with craftsmen, and craftsmen care about the way they work.

But also…

Craftsmen keep up with the times. Craftsmen look out for new and better. Crafstmen adapt to new tools when needed or when the benefits become clear. They take the industry’s pulse to see if anything new will help them at their craft.  

They adopt new if new brings forward progress. And they discern forward progress from shiny objects.

If you want to know about the latest tools, gizmos, methodologies, and science in your industry, ask a craftsman.   

If you work for/with me, I will do my best to allow you to work the way want. 

I apply this to environments, platforms, tools, applications, and methodologies. We have standards and agreements, of course, but for the most part, I’m on board. Want a mac or Linux? I’ll get it for you. You need a license for your favorite IDE? I’ll approve. 

Because I want to work with craftsmen and craftsmen care about the way they work. They care about their tools. They care about methodologies. They care about what they produce and how they produce it.

Empowering you to work your way, I believe, is a key element in creating a productive, innovative, and vibrant work environment. I respect your professional expertise and want to equip you with what you need to be successful. In turn, I anticipate the passion, commitment, and high-quality output that craftsmen are known for.

By enabling this level of autonomy, we foster a culture of respect, personal responsibility, and a sense of ownership over one’s work. It’s not about conforming to a one-size-fits-all approach, but rather, embracing diversity of thought, style, and approach to drive innovation and foster personal growth.

By working the way you want, we all get better. 

Where are you trying to go? What is your endpoint?

Project management maps the journey to the endpoint. Without an endpoint, you don’t need a map. If you don’t need a map, you don’t need project management. 

Razor sharp focus on the endpoint saved and built companies like Apple, Southwest Airlines, and Amazon. Choose the endpoint. Unite the project managers. Distractions be damned. We’re on the road to our endpoint. 

However, Twitter (podcasting platform), Slack (game), and PayPal (security software) all became what they are because they chose a new endpoint in the midst of their journey. OK, project managers, throw out the map. Let’s build a new one.

Commitment and adaptability are two sides of the same coin. But in both cases, you need to know your endpoint. 

When you get your team around the table, what does it look like?

Are you at the head, everybody facing you, everybody looking to you to tell them what to do?

Are you the best at all the jobs?

Do all the decision flow through you, up and down the chain?

If so, consider a new order.