Hire team players

Ted Phillips, CEO, Chicago Bears Football Club Inc.

The cover of a football team’s press
guide may be a picture of a quarterback, but the daily blocking and tackling of everybody on the field is what
makes the team successful. Chicago
Bears Football Club Inc. CEO Ted
Phillips looks at his team on the inside
the same way. And that starts with
scouting the right team members.

“Everyone always talks about the
right fit, and you want people who can
check their ego at the door and be truly
team players,” he says. “… That makes
your team more cohesive and better in
the long run.”

The key to finding talented people
who can check their ego at the door is
in letting them tell their story. Bring
them in and ask them to talk about their accomplishments. As they talk,
hear what they are saying to see if
they’re interested in moving forward
the daily tasks of the team or if they are
a needy, me-first wide receiver.

“Some of it is how they answer questions during interviews,” Phillips says.
“As they are talking, are they using the I
language about everything that they did
or are they talking about how they
added to the efficiency or the overall
good of the company or the department
that they were working in previously.”

You can’t do all the hiring yourself, of
course, so make sure that this hearing
test is being administered by your
direct reports as they hire.

“I try to instill that in my direct
reports when they’re hiring people,”

Phillips says. “You tell them to be alert
for red flags that go up in someone’s
personality. Are they being arrogant;
are they talking too much about themselves?”