I have a new team at the chicken. We were chartered about six months ago. All of the players are extremely talented, and each is gifted in his or her own way. Each member also understands and embraces the power of the team.
During our early meetings, we were debating how to accelerate our performance. We came upon a simple idea that already seems to be paying big dividends.
Before I tell you about our idea, I will confess it’s not an original, nor is it the first time I’ve been on a team that employed this approach. It is the first time we’ve given it the definition and focus required for it to add real substance.
The idea: assign a champion to each large body of work. Yes, it is a simple concept. But what is a champion and what do they do? The answers to these questions are where the value resides. Here are some of the attributes we used in our working definition.
The Champion’s Role
Provide thought leadership
Develop deep subject matter expertise
Create and manage the staffing plan
Engage the entire team as needed
Steward the budget in the assigned area
Ensure the work gets done
Don’t miss the fact we are still a team. The champion doesn’t own the work; the team does. The champion serves as the encourager, conscience and more for the team.[GLS_Shield]
5 replies on “A Simple Idea With Huge Potential”
I enjoyed this post, Mark. Just last night I was talking with a peer who is, along with me, a “Champion Leader” for a cause we both love (we each have responsibility for a set of champions — we were trying to figure out what was missing — why it seems challenging to motivate them. This post gives me a bit of perspective on that — maybe we aren’t engaging them as needed, as you discuss above. Thanks for this! 🙂
Excellent strategy , excellent definition.
It seems to working better than ever. As the work becomes more complex, I am less and less inclined to assign an individual to the task. The team always seems to take the work to the next level. The Champions are helping! Thanks for joining the conversation! Mark
Just toured zappos. They have gone entirely to a flat peer to peer system. Pretty wild
I read about Zappos move. I’m going to write about it next week. Stand by… Mark