Building a quality team became an obsession with me, especially later in my career. I had 12 to 14 store managers that reported directly to me; I knew that if the majority of these managers were Meets Expectations then the best performance I could hope for was a Meets Expectation. I also knew that if 9 of the 13 store managers were Exceeds Expectation performers, then I would be an Exceeds Expectation performer almost by default. So I set myself a goal to have at least 75% of my staff be Exceeds Expectation performers.

     Each year, I rated my store managers from best to worst. Now worst may have been and usually was a Meets Expectation performer. I would analyze the bottom 3 performers and develop a strategy to improve their performance to so they would move into the top half of the scale. By doing this, the store manager team constantly improved. This was one of my specific strategies to ensure that the the team continually improved and achieved high standards.

     What strategies could you employ to help you build a quality team? Let us know in the comments below!