A-players are a special group of people. They are more than adroit workers. The peculiarity of A-workers lies in the fact they do not merely follow orders; instead, they are thinkers and unofficial advisors. They advise the leader or director on the course of progress of their company by warning them of any obstacles that lie ahead.
Every year, thousands of businesses get launched across the world, but most of these fail to make it to the next level. There are some decisive factors such as access to capital, understanding the marketplace, the right product, and the ability to innovate.
But there is one important factor – getting A-players in your team – which helps a company to grow and prosper in the long term. Be it a start-up or a large business, A-players are the one factor that takes a business to the next level.
A-Player is one individual who not only understands the goals and visions of the entrepreneurs or management but shares the same vision or goal of the organisation and brings out the best to achieve those shared goals.
Who are A-Players and why are they important?
A-players are above the ruck and they know it. They prefer to work only with others of their kind. After all, birds of a feather flock together. When A-players join hands, the strength of their mutual understanding enables them to work smarter, removing the odd snag here and there and streamlining their processes to work with peace of mind. Ultimately, it is the company that reaps the benefits.
A company is more than machines and pretty workspaces. Investing in infrastructure is important, but not enough. It is just as vital to pick the right people who will bring success to your company in the long run.
How to pick A-players
Honestly, this is rather intuitive. If you are an A-player yourself and find yourself talking to someone who seems to be reading your mind, you will know that you have found another A-player. Their mindset will be aligned with yours.
At AceInotec, I am the one who takes the first round of interviews during the hiring process, particularly when it comes to managerial positions. I filter the deserving candidates and send them to Human Resources for commercial discussions. It is worth it to invest in the time to get the right candidate, for a genuine A-player will save you a lot of time later.
Organize and Review!
This is hackneyed but true: to be efficient, it is of first importance to be organized, or things will go haywire. When I joined AceInotec, the workflow in the company was, to put it mildly, unsatisfactory. The first thing I did was to organize everything in the right pipeline; then I put the right people in those pipelines to ensure efficiency. A manager must take the table test- that is, put their legs on the table and make sure that they are not working for today or tomorrow, but for the future.
It is just as important to review what is happening on a periodical basis, in order to know where you can improve. Part of that calls for investment in ERP to know what your employees are doing on a real-time basis.
