Imagine it’s a new staff every day, because it is

Imagine that a longtime leader-manager told you one of his secrets to success was to work with a new staff every day.

You’d wonder what he was talking about. You’d think he was crazy. A new staff every day?

Impossible.

We recently came across a statement from Duke University’s h

ead basketball coach, Mike Krzyzewski, on the blog of the business author Tom Peters about how Coach K thinks about leading his student athletes. Krzyzewski has successfully built championship college basketball teams for 30 years.

Krzyzewski was quoted in a newspaper interview as saying, “Things don’t stay the same. You have to understand that not only your business situation changes, but the people you’re working with aren’t the same day to day. Someone is sick. Someone is having a wedding. You must gauge the mood, the thinking level of the team that day.”

Peters’ reaction to Coach K’s statement was as follows: “That is, your six-person project team or seven-person training department or 18-person housekeeping unit is a new puzzle every day. It’s far beyond ‘treat everybody differently according to their skills,’ etc. It’s that in a 220-day work year, we the leader-manager face 220 different teams. Every day is a new crossword puzzle. If such constant puzzle solving isn’t your cup of tea, then leave the leading-managing to someone else.”

Coach K’s quote made us wonder whether leaders really understand what motivates their employees from day to day. Do leaders really understand the changes going on with their staff when they walk into the office each day?

Like Peters, we agree that his comment states the obvious. Of course, outside of the job influences and job-related issues that any employee deals with day to day affects their motivation. Employees can feel challenged one day and not the next day. They can feel valued for the work they do this week and feel not a part of the team the next week.

Coach K’s insight is that the impact of these internal and external influences on the members of your team isn’t just on the margins. As Peters puts it, you have a different crossword puzzle to solve each day. You need to view your team through this lens of constant change.

Think for a moment about the implications of Krzyzewski’s idea that your business has a different “staff” each day.

Most entrepreneurs don’t come to work each day and manage their business thinking this way. Why would they? If the organizational chart is stable, the team is fairly stable. They already have enough problems on their plate to solve each day — especially with the economy.

Building a company culture where staff grow and prosper is essential to a successful bottom line. But small business owners typically think the significant impact of changes with their employees occurs over a much, much longer time horizon.

If Coach K is right, small business owners not only need to raise the game of their problem-solving skills, they also need to face each day with a different level of energy and creativity leading a “new team” each day. They need to give much more attention to the needs of that team.

We believe Coach K’s perspective on building a team will be helpful to your small business. He has had a long record of success, and we see real value in his idea and think it will make you an even more effective leader and manager.

Pat Sisneros is the vice president of College Services at Everett Community College. Juergen Kneifel is an associate faculty member in the EvCC Entrepreneurship program. Send your comments to entrepreneurship@everettcc.edu.

Talk to us

More in Herald Business Journal

Members of Gravitics' team and U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen stand in front of a mockup of a space module interior on Thursday, August 17, 2023 at Gravitics' Marysville facility. Left to right: Mark Tiner, government affairs representative; Jiral Shah, business development; U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen; Mike DeRosa, marketing; Scott Macklin, lead engineer. (Gravitics.)
Marysville startup prepares for space — the financial frontier

Gravitics is building space station module prototypes to one day house space travelers and researchers.

Orca Mobility designer Mike Lowell, left, and CEO Bill Messing at their office on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023 in Granite Falls, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Could a Granite Falls startup’s three-wheeler revolutionize delivery?

Orca Mobility’s battery-powered, three-wheel truck is built on a motorcycle frame. Now, they aim to make it self-driving.

Catherine Robinweiler leads the class during a lab session at Edmonds College on April 29, 2021. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Grant aids apprenticeship program in Mukilteo and elsewhere

A $5.6 million U.S. Department of Labor grant will boost apprenticeships for special education teachers and nurses.

Peoples Bank is placing piggy banks with $30 around Washington starting Aug. 1.
(Peoples Bank)
Peoples Bank grant program seeks proposals from nonprofits

Peoples Bank offers up to $35,000 in Impact Grants aimed at helping communities. Applications due Sept. 15.

Workers build the first all-electric commuter plane, the Eviation Alice, at Eviation's plant on Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021 in Arlington, Washington.  (Andy Bronson / The Herald)
Arlington’s Eviation selects Seattle firm to configure production plane

TLG Aerospace chosen to configure Eviation Aircraft’s all-electric commuter plane for mass production.

Jim Simpson leans on Blue Ray III, one of his designs, in his shop on Friday, August 25, 2023, in Clinton, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Whidbey Island master mechanic building dream car from “Speed Racer”

Jim Simpson, 68, of Clinton, is using his knowledge of sports cars to assemble his own Mach Five.

An Amazon worker transfers and organizes items at the new PAE2 Amazon Fulfillment Center on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023, in Arlington, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Amazon cuts ribbon on colossal $355M fulfillment center in Arlington

At 2.8 million square feet, the facility is the largest of its kind in Washington. It can hold 40 million “units” of inventory.

A computer rendering of the North Creek Commerce Center industrial park in development at 18712 Bothell-Everett Highway. (Kidder Mathews)
Developer breaks ground on new Bothell industrial park

The North Creek Commerce Center on Bothell Everett Highway will provide warehouse and office space in three buildings.

Dan Bates / The Herald
Funko president, Brian Mariotti is excited about the growth that has led his company to need a 62,000 square foot facility in Lynnwood.
Photo Taken: 102312
Former Funko CEO resigns from the Everett company

Brian Mariotti resigned Sept. 1, six weeks after announcing he was taking a six-month sabbatical from the company.

Cash is used for a purchase at Molly Moon's Ice Cream in Edmonds, Washington on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Paper or plastic? Snohomish County may require businesses to take cash

County Council member Nate Nehring proposed an ordinance to ban cashless sales under $200. He hopes cities will follow suit.

A crowd begins to form before a large reception for the opening of Fisherman Jack’s at the Port of Everett on Wednesday, August 30, 2023, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Seafood with a view: Fisherman Jack’s opens at Port of Everett

“The port is booming!” The new restaurant is the first to open on “restaurant row” at the port’s Waterfront Place.

Tanner Mock begins unwrapping new furniture that has been delivered on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In Everett, new look, new name for mainstay Behar’s Furniture

Conlin’s Furniture, based in South Dakota, bought the huge store and celebrates with a grand opening this week.