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Mark Eaton spent 12 years in the NBA, renowned for his defensive play at center. After retiring from the Utah Jazz, Eaton became an entrepreneur, opening a successful restaurant and becoming a nationally recognized corporate speaker. He offers four keys for successful teams that are as relevant for social entrepreneurs and their teams as for any other organization.
At seven feet four inches, Eaton dominated opponents in the NBA, was twice named NBA Defensive Player of the Year and broke the league record for most blocked shots in a single season. He was also selected to play in the 1989 All-Star Game.
After his playing days were over, he became a radio and talk show host and opened Tuscany, a highly-regarded restaurant in Salt Lake City. More recently, he launched 7ft4.com, his training and speaking business. In 2014, he was recognized by the National Speakers Association as a Certified Speaking Professional.
All of these accomplishments are more remarkable when you learn that Eaton was a reluctant recruit at Cypress Junior College after working three years following high school as an auto mechanic. He credits Tom Lubin, a chemistry professor and part-time assistant basketball coach for his persistence in recruiting him to the team.
Eaton draws upon all of his career experience to offer "Four Commitments of a Winning Team," three of which we'll cover here. The fourth will be available only in the live video interview with Eaton (details below). Forbes contributor Cheryl Snapp Conner wrote a great piece about the first of these principles in 2014.
Each of these four principles can apply to almost any organization. In the narrative below, I'll discuss how they apply particularly well to social enterprises.
- Know your job: Focus on what you do best. Identify your greatest character trait or skill and leverage it. Tim Ballard, CEO and founder of Operation Underground Rescue, a nonprofit that rescues children caught up in sex trafficking, made a similar point when I interviewed him for Forbes in December. He notes, that everyone has a different skill set and we all need to focus on using our personal skills for good. He literally identifies children trapped in slavery and takes in a team of commandos--in full cooperation with local law enforcement--to rescue them. Most of us, he agrees, aren't in a position to do that. At the same time, some people are needed to help raise the money, tell the stories, care for and treat the children once rescued and help to return them to their homes. Everyone has a different role to play on the team.
- Do what you've been asked to do: Execute the play. To be an effective member of a team focused on impact as much as or more than on profit, everyone must both understand what is expected and then execute on that expectation. Social entrepreneurs need to create teams with passion for a cause. That very passion can sometimes be a stumbling block to the goal when people lose focus on their assignments. Sometimes it's your turn to feed and pet the kittens. Sometimes it's your turn to shovel horse manure. An entrepreneur must ensure that everyone on the team knows her assignment and is executing it.
- Make others look good. Eaton says, "Your primary responsibility as a member of a team is to enhance the value of those around you." Eaton learned this as the league's leading defender; his job was to make his teammates look good. This is paramount for social entrepreneurs, who are all about doing good. It isn't enough for social entrepreneurs to appear to be good, they must be doing good. The market can ruthless to social entrepreneurs who claim to do good and don't measure up to challenging expectations. Even the iconic social entrepreneur Blake Mycoskie, founder of Tom's Shoes and the "buy one give one" model, has been criticized for not being good enough. Collaborating as a team to work for good will go a long way toward maintaining the image of being good.
On Wednesday, April 26, 2016 at 5:00 Eastern, Eaton will join me here for a live interview to discuss all four of the keys to winning teams. Tune in here then to watch the interview live. Post questions in the comments below or tweet questions before the interview to @devindthorpe.
You can download an audio podcast here or subscribe via iTunes.
