“Great teams have great depth.” John C. Maxwell

How’s your bench doing? If you’re developing a sports team, you know bench players are crucial to your success. The same is true for any team. There are 5 truths you need to know about bench players:

• They are tomorrow’s stars- if they’re trained well now, you have more success later
• They multiply the starter’s performance- use them as much as possible in practice situations and the team will win
• There are more people on the bench than there are starters/leaders- not all bench players will turn into starters; you need to know how to identify and develop the right bench players
• A well-placed bench player is more effective than a great starter- a bench player with only one or two great skills can add huge value to your team, especially in clutch situations
• A strong bench equals more options- you can develop plans with greater flexibility, especially in times of challenge or struggle

What’s...

“Great teams have great depth.” John C. Maxwell

Leaders tend to focus on their top performers, their starter players. And for good reason! It’s important to focus 80% of your time on the top 20% of performers to maximize your team’s results.

You see this often in larger companies and businesses. They conduct training on increasing performance and larger leadership ideas with their top people and their leadership team, while the bench players of the team get training on compliance issues.

But what if one of your top performers leaves the team? Do you have a plan to replace them?

If you don’t focus on your bench players and develop them, you could find yourself hurting.

Here are a few thoughts to consider…

• Who steps up in times of need and fills in during short term projects?
• Who stays after and goes over and above their job duties?
• Who seems the most curious about what happens in and with the team?
• Who volunteers to do extra work and/or learn...