Monday, March 9, 2009

It was quite a season for Dallas football fans. And now they can take a deep breath and relax because the Dallas Cowboys formally released Terrell Owens. In spite of Owens? considerable on-the-field talent, the Cowboys are done with him.

Terrell Owens has long been the center of football dramas ? long enough to attract worldwide commentary. When the Philadelphia Eagles let Owens go a few years ago, Canadian columnist Chris Shultz wondered: ?Why is a man with so much going for him in life so unhappy?? What Shultz was really asking was how such a talent exhibits such emotionally unintelligent behavior ? to the detriment of the rest of the team.

What happened to the Cowboys is what happens in business; corporate executives and business managers can learn valuable lessons from watching the Dallas Cowboys and their T.O. debacle. Just like any good company, the Cowboys organization, wanted to come out on top. They hired great talent, even though they knew Owens had a history of being a problem employee. It wasn?t long before the new employee began offending and insulting co-workers causing unnecessary distractions. T.O.?s antics slowly chipped away at the spirit of the Cowboys. The Cowboys organization reacted like any business with internal problems, it floundered. The resulting loss of focus translated into team losses and lost revenue.

In the end, one has to wonder. Sure T.O. plays a great game, but is any star player ? in football, or sales, or technology ? worth the drama that comes with him or her? The lesson: without emotional competence, corporate brilliance is easily wasted.

How can today?s leaders and managers avoid making the same mistake the Cowboys did? Here are a few tips:

1. Write a clear job description. Before hiring, look at the overall needs of the company or department and ask yourself what non-technical competencies are needed to deliver on short and long-term goals. Know what you need.

• Does the position require someone who is multi-skilled, self-motivating, takes initiative, and works well alone? Or, on the other hand, does it require an interacting person who is a decent leader and/or capable coach?



• Can the talent go their own way, or is it important that s/he is a good corporate citizen, that is, one who sees the good of the whole as important as their own good, contributing not only to the shared IQ but also to the group?s emotional competence?

2. Beware the dazzler. For any position, what?s the difference between a good technician and a good employee? Terrell Owens is a great football technician. However, in most companies, technical skills just aren?t enough.

If you are tempted to hire a dazzler, stop and ask yourself how much good is it if one person shines but ruins the team in the process? More importantly, how much time and effort will it take you to rebuild your team when the dazzler goes away?

3. Require brilliance and compatibility. Reward the value employees bring to the whole project, not just one aspect of a job. Focus on technical talents and people skills to attract emotionally intelligent employees.

4. Recognize overall productivity. What makes you, your company and your staff more productive? If most of the staff is forced to tiptoe around the superstar whose self-focused meanderings eclipse their talent and expertise, can anyone thrive? Will the new employee turn your workplace into a bad soap opera or is s/he a collaborative communicator who understands the job and works with you so you both look good?

In the end, what good is one person?s skill if your team can?t win the game? It doesn?t matter if the game is football, sales or customer service. The end result can be devastating?just ask the Cowboys and their fans.

© 2009 Annmarie Kelly. All rights reserved. You are welcome to share this article, in whole or in part, as long as copyright and attribution are included.