Next Man Up
By Mike Goodfriend
“Next Man Up” has been the mantra
for the 2011 Houston Texans. Injuries are common in the NFL but the
number of star players injured for the Texans is significantly above the league
average. Yet the team persevered and although they would be unlikely
Super Bowl participants this year, they are playing in their first ever NFL
playoff game this Saturday. I am excited about this playoff game and
believe their teamwork may be an advantage in the playoffs despite their
injuries and late season losses. Win or lose – they have shown us how a
“Next Man Up” approach is not only a model for sports teams but also for
business teams.
Even if the Texans built their
team expecting key injuries to occur, I doubt they would have considered that
the number of star players could all have significant injuries in one
season. Their No. 1 quarterback, Matt Schaub, and #2 quarterback, Matt
Leinart were injured in successive weeks and not available for the second half
of the season. Their top pass rusher, Mario Williams was injured in
week 4 and lost for the remainder of the season. One of the top
receivers in the NFL, Andre Johnson, pulled one hamstring muscle was out for 6
weeks and then when he returned to play, he pulled the other hamstring muscle
was out for 3 more weeks. They also lost the NFL’s leading rusher
in 2010, Arian Foster, for the first two games of the season with a pulled
hamstring. Although not injured, they even lost their defensive
coordinator, Wade Phillips, for two games so he could have kidney and gall
bladder surgery. Wade Phillips has been widely credited for turning
around the worst rated defense in 2010 to becoming the #2 rated defense in
2011.
Their offensive production has
been down without their top 2 QBs and Pro Bowl receiver. They lost games
to mediocre teams while their defensive coordinator was in the
hospital. But they have made the playoffs with a third string QB
for almost a third of the season.
Like most teamwork successes,
their effectiveness in working as a team may not get the recognition it
deserves. But teams in business can learn from the Texans about how to
utilize a “Next Man Up” philosophy for the men and women on their team.
How “Next Man Up” Applies to
Teamwork in Business
·
Employee
turnover – departing employees or transfers to other departments can result in
a reduction in the team performance metrics, especially when it is a “star
player” on the team.
·
Succession
planning is become more common but its importance is still
underestimated. Helping the likely successor become ready for the next
job is just as important as identifying the successor
·
Recruiting
and selecting your direct reports should not just be about the job they are
recruited for but also for the job they might advance into.
How “Next Man Up” Can Succeed in
Sports and in Business
·
Great
teamwork helps the next person up succeed. The Texans clearly see
themselves as a team and don’t see it being up to the new player, individually,
to replace the production. They see the team being responsible for
replacing the production -- to collectively step up. DeMeco Ryans,
a Texans inside linebacker and captain of the defense, said it best, “This
is a team. The true definition of a team. Every man pitching in and
making plays, it’s not just about one person. We’ve come together as a
team and you never know on any given Sunday, who is going to step up and make
that play for us. I love having it like that. Guys are very
unselfish in our locker room which is key. Don’t have any ‘me guys.’” Gary
Kubiak, the Texans head coach, summed it up well after the loss of the Texans
starting QB, Matt Schaub, "The key is that the team rallies around him.
Matt (Leinart) doesn't have to win a game. The team has to win a game. We'll
rally around him and get him ready to go." In business, it is
important for the team to see themselves as a team, to achieve a common goal,
not just individual goals. In sports, it seems easy to identify with the
team goal of winning a game or a championship as a team. In business, it
shouldn’t be any different.
·
The
team and its leader need to believe in and be confident that team members, and
their possible replacements, can deliver. Gary Kubiak, the head coach of
the Texans, has set the tone for this with his very clear expressions of how he
believes in struggling players and new replacements. Even when
players are not performing well, he believes in them. When the defense
was ranked last in 2010, Kubiak made this comment, “I told the players I
believe in them, and I want them to get better every day. You can’t go
from 32nd to 5th in one game, but it’s important that we
improve every week. I believe in him (defensive coordinator Frank Bush in
2010). That is why he is here with me. We’ll figure out a way to
get it done.“ As we have learned this year, he had reason to believe
in those defensive players. Yes, Frank Bush was not the right guy to lead
the defense but that doesn’t make Kubiak wrong for believing in him. I
believe he was sincere in his belief in that coach and those players.
Believing in someone doesn’t guarantee they will succeed but it says you
sincerely believe in their potential. Expressing that you believe in
someone is a priceless gift -- one that can’t be measured in quantifiable terms.
ESPN’s Paul Kuharsky in the AFC South Blog on 12/9/11 reflected on Coach
Kubiak, “He’s got a team that believes in itself as much as anyone in the
league outside of Wisconsin.” In business, how often does the team’s
leader and members express their belief and confidence in each other in a
public manner?
·
“Next
Man Up” in business or in sports is difficult without a great system, method or
strategy. The Texans have a complex offensive system that is difficult to
defend when the right players are in place. The defensive system brought
in by Wade Phillips helped transform the league’s worst defense in 2010 to one
of the best in 2011. Great systems can absorb a player loss easier than
teams that are dependent on great players. In business, a team member is
easier to replace when you have a great strategy, great processes and great
information systems. They may not be as good as the star player but the
team may still perform at a high level, higher than they would if there was not
a great system.
Recommendations – “Next Man Up”
in Business
Recommendation 1: Improve
Teamwork Competency
A team that has processes,
behaviors and systems for teamwork is more likely be able to leverage a “next
man up” philosophy when a key team member is lost. Adopt a teamwork competency
model (such as our TeamSceneTM Model) as a common framework for the
team. Then commit to behaviors and principles that will develop those
competencies. An example of a commitment might be to address a
relationship issue in a straightforward, factual and timely manner directly
with another team member – without involving the team’s leader unless
absolutely necessary. Another example might be to admit mistakes or
failures to the team in a public setting without trying to hide the problem or
make excuses. The team can also institute teamwork processes (steps or
activities) that will lead to a team being more competent in the way it works
together. An example might be a process for debating an important issue,
problem or decision. Another example may be a process for reviewing
progress, as a team, against the goals and plans so adjustments can be made to
deliver more as promised.
Recommendation 2: Make the Team a
Preferred Place to Work
Compensation, incentives and
recognition are important underlying factors to keep team members happy.
But making your team a great place to work starts by being inspired with a
higher purpose – in addition to making a profit. In sports, winning a
championship as a team is a purpose higher than any individual success a player
can have. But other higher purposes might be making the city proud of the
sports team or dedicating the season to an injured player. Consider
reading the Harvard Business Review article “Building Company Vision” to learn
more about developing a Core Purpose and Vision in business. Making
the team a preferred place to work requires leaders to set high expectations
and be clear about what they accept/don’t accept. But it also means that
leaders need to make their team members accountable to deliver as a team with
some freedom to do what it takes within the system to succeed.
Recommendation 3: Recruit Team
Players
In an interview, most
interviewees will describe themselves as a team player. It is probably a
phrase that most interviewees learn to say, like when they describe their
greatest weakness as “being too much of a perfectionist.” You can’t
determine if a team member is really a team player just by asking them “yes or
no” if they are.
Being a team player is an
attitude. As many of you know, I have played competitive or recreational
sports all my life and currently play baseball on a “45 and over” baseball
team. You can quickly see who are the team players and who aren’t.
It is easy to think that the highly confident or even arrogant player is not a
team player and the player who just goes about his business is. But that
is not necessarily the case. I played on a team when we won the
championship. One of my teammates was not just confident about his
abilities. He could be downright arrogant talking about how great he was
all the time. Team members want other players on the team who are
confident -- as long as they put the team first. I learned more about him
when we played for the championship with less than a full team. This guy
was the one you wanted in your dugout in that situation. He
instilled the same confidence he had in himself with everyone else on the
team. I also have played with those teammates who don’t say much and who
everyone likes but they are just quieter about getting accolades for
themselves, even if the team fails.
A team player is concerned with
handoffs and interdependencies on a team. They are concerned with how the
team can deliver, irrespective if they deliver. If they are a star
player, they only see that as being valuable if the team has
success. In business, it is the same. A team player puts the
team’s success over their own. They are willing to debate/communicate
openly about the facts (without being defensive) of an issue impacting the
team’s results. They also have a short memory about own/others
mistakes. They are committed to building relationships with other team
members so the handoffs and interdependencies are leveraged for the benefit of
the team.
Recommendation 4: Help Your “Next
Man Up” Be Ready
Sports teams have bench
players. Those bench players have an opportunity to practice with or
against their teammates who are starters. They might not to get to play
in the games much but it is important for the coaches to get them ready.
In business, there are generally no bench players – just waiting for their turn
to contribute. Succession planning is a mechanism that many companies use
for identifying and developing people before their opportunity
arises. I have seen some great succession planning processes
where there is a plan for the “next man up” to not only get the training they
need but also some developmental experiences. Some examples may be to
participate in the leadership team meetings of the person they report to,
giving presentations to the executives that their leader reports to, being
responsible for a key initiative for his/her leader, etc., being “in-charge”
while the leader is on vacation, etc. I have some clients that ask me
to help their “next man up” prepare for the job they may be promoted to.
They ask me to coach the “next man up” to prepare him or her for a possible
step-up 6 months to a year down the road. This is a great opportunity for
that person to prepare both through learning and application of what they
learned.
*
* *
I am really looking forward to
the game this Saturday. There are a lot of reasons to be skeptical
about the Texans chances. They are on a 3 game losing streak, none of which
were playoff teams. They have a 3rd string
quarterback. The key to the team, the defense, will have the
architect and leader, Wade Phillips, in the press box instead of his usual
place on the sidelines. But I believe in them. Teamwork
is in their DNA and they have a system that helps the “Next Man Up” be
successful. They may not win but their chances of winning are a lot
greater because of their “Next Man Up” philosophy. I will be proud of the
Texans one way or the other. But the greatest gift they have given
us is to show us the value of teamwork. Watch the game this Saturday at
3:30 CT. Teamwork and the “Next Man Up” may just be on
display.
Goodfriend &
Associates helps leaders and leadership teams increase their strategic
advantage. Mike Goodfriend helps organizations improve business
performance through achieving higher levels of competitive advantage,
teamwork/alignment, leadership competency and excellence/customer
satisfaction. He is a facilitator, coach and consultant and he has been
helping successful organizations/functions since 1989. Mike Goodfriend
can be reached at 713-789-6840 or via email at mikeg@goodfriendconsulting.com.