Mrs N and I have just watched the three-part series MOURINHO, the documentary on football manager Jose Mourinho filmed over two years. As football fans, we were hooked, but from a leadership and cultural perspective it was fascinating and I urge you to watch it, if you’ve not already done so.

When talking about reputation vs. work rate, Jose said:

"It is largely the team and its culture that dictates everything.”

Jose had some BIG characters to manage but believes that individual skill is nothing without group work.And even if you have the most skilful players in the world in your team, if they don’t have the right attitude, then things start to break. As he found out...

And the same goes for any size of business, operating in any sector: whether you’re trying to make the most of your own abilities or those of your staff, it’s so much more than simply finding the right person for the right job. And it’s shocking to see that 90% of job interviews are all about skills, not attitude.

So, it’s essential you find the right people with the right attitude, because you can’t train attitude.Method and skills can be taught, but heart and desire comes from within.

To get the best from anyone - and to manage their individual scalability - you need to match their:

• Skills (which are ever-changing)...

• Interests (at that specific stage of their career/life)...

• And the one most often overlooked - their Desire to engage with your business’s bigger picture (which they should, at the very least, be made aware of).

Any brilliant person, pushed into the wrong role will, ultimately, be a waste of time.

Likewise, the right person in a role they have outgrown, or have lost their passion for, is a waste of talent (and a waste of your time).

Best wishes,

Martin

Martin Norbury

Investor | Business Mentor at Advocate | Author of I don’t work Fridays