Is having a “dream team” a realistic goal for your company?

Imagine employing only the people who work hard, know their craft, and contribute to the team in a positive way. These aren’t just great people — they’re people who are great at what they do. Who wouldn’t want to have a dream team working to advance their business? 

Is the “dream team” idea too good to be true… or is it actually possible?

Working with a dream team is possible. If you’re ready to make it a reality at your organization, here are three tips to help you acquire and grow your dream team. 

1. Attract Good People

Dream teams don’t just come from recruiting well — they come from recruiting often. If you want to develop your dream team, your company needs to attract good employees. Enticing great people to work for your company starts with already having great people in your organization. 

It’s a Catch-22: you have to have great employees to get more great employees. 

This means you have to take advantage of your opportunities to hire quality employees. There’s never a bad time to hire a good person. When a strong employee walks through the door, hire them!  

On the other hand, if you feel like you hired someone in error, you probably did. Ask yourself, “Would I hire this person again?” If the answer is no, un-hire them.

Obviously, there are some practical realities to taking on employees and letting them go, but start looking at your team as an investment. Trade up when you can. The more great people you have on the team, the more other great people will want to join what you’ve started. 

2. Nurture Your Hires

As you grow your dream team, you have to be intentional with how you handle good hires. 

Nurturing employees is an art and a science. Create an environment where they have opportunities to excel in the midst of their more regimented tasks. Aim to balance their responsibilities between assignments where they’re the absolute best person for the job and tasks that free up others to do their best work. 

Another way to nurture the perfect team is to protect the purity of your talent pool. Good employees deserve good coworkers. They’ll respect their own work more if they see you strive to hire and keep only the best folks. 

3. Grow Great Managers

The third key to building your dream team is to grow great managers. 

Easier said than done, right? 

Although management can be difficult to teach, strong leadership is clear. The most effective managers focus on process and process owners, not titles and job descriptions. Titles are often deceptive and job descriptions are often limiting. Yes, titles and job descriptions may be necessary, but they don’t have to be obstacles to individual success.

A good manager knows how to remove obstacles, not just enforce them. Effective managers work towards making business run more effectively by improving processes, anticipating demand, and mastering the schedule. They provide central oversight to the dream team in a way that brings unity in achieving your organizational goals. 

If you want to build the best team possible, here’s your task list: 

1. Hire fast. Un-hire faster. 
2. Create a balance of “best at” and “best for” responsibilities. 
3. Adopt a management style that allows and encourages individuals to succeed. 

With this approach, building a dream team becomes more than a pipe dream — it becomes the reality of your organization.