How to Spot a B-Player and Why You Need to Act Fast

Do you need to light a fire under your team?

Hi everyone, Angus Pryor here, multi-award-winning practice growth specialist. Behind me is a very, very big bonfire, and I’ll show you some footage of that in a second. But I’ve been thinking about the analogy of fire in relation to your team. Currently, I’m reading Lean Marketing by Alan Dibb, and he emphasizes the importance of having A-player employees. In his experience, he’s never seen a B-player or C-player with the right help make their way up to an A-player. There are, of course, factors that might stop an A-player from performing at their best, like not having a clear definition of success in their role. In my company, every job description includes a sentence on what success looks like. With a positive environment, fair chances, and the right support, A-players tend to rise to the occasion.

From my experience, if you’re two weeks in and not seeing A-player behavior, it’s unlikely things will turn around after that. I can also honestly say I’ve never regretted sacking someone. I’ve never thought, Oh, maybe I sacked them too soon. If anything, I’ve regretted waiting too long to let them go. If you want to grow your practice, you need A-players, and sometimes you need to put a fire under your team to make that happen. See you next time!