Field Notes

Here’s a true story with an important insight. 

A team leader was having a banner year, hitting all revenue targets and individual outcome goals. They were finally looking forward to a terrific year-end review. 

The idea was to get a big thanks that hopefully translated into more compensation. But they were entirely unprepared for what actually happened. 

Instead of a stellar review full of positive comments, they received an average rating. The manager admitted that the team leader had achieved all the personal goals they had committed to and deserved a pat on the back for their individual contribution to the organization. 

But then they lowered the hammer. 

“You’re managing a team now, and you have responsibility to make people better. As a player-coach, you were excellent as a player and lousy as a coach. Everyone looks up to you for your talent and skills. Your individual performance was spectacular. But no one on the team got better as a result of your guidance, coaching, or advice. You were so focused on achieving your goals, you forgot about the team.”

In many organizations, the first line leadership role is one of the player-coach. The player-coach role is typically filled by a top performer who is now also in charge of a team. They still produce, but now also lead everyone else. 

The problem is that they often believe their credibility with the team and across the organization has little to do with their coach role and everything to do with their ability to perform at the highest level. 

So, they do what comes naturally. They execute and drive their own performance, paying little or no attention to the team. They are all player and no coach. 

This is a recipe for a subpar review, talent departures, and disappointment from those who advocated for them to take on the new leadership assignment. 

Not everyone is cut out to lead others, but when a high performer agrees to become a player-coach, they have a responsibility and obligation to elevate the skills and talents of others. 

Dividing time between the player and the coach role is never easy, but the best team leaders take the coach role seriously and invest a large portion of their time guiding, explaining, instructing, and mentoring those on the team. 

In practical reality, it is less likely for this to be a 50-50 percentage split, and more effective to pick days where one side of the role gets more time and attention. 

Judging overall performance, both in personal production and in team performance and growth, is the essential move. Lopsided impact results in general ineffectiveness. 

Instead of only crafting personal performance goals, designing team goals and a personal plan for each team member will often change the focus of a player-coach. 

Taking the time once a week to explore how each team member is doing and to listen to their concerns and challenges will turn a top player into a solid player-coach. 

A great player-coach leads by example in production and manages by investment in team member development. They are forever the consummate player and never let their performance drop or suffer. 

After all, no one refers to the role as coach-player for a reason. 

But they also know the force multiplier for the team lies with them becoming a great coach. When the two sides are in balance, organizations and teams prosper.