Top Secrets To Building Winning Teams

Talent Wins

Chris Mursau is the President of Topgrading, a proven system that helps organizations build and maintain high-performing teams through hiring, development, and promotion strategies. Since 2001, Chris has been consulting and teaching organizations and individual managers how to pack their teams with A-players.

Chris has conducted over 2,500 in-depth Topgrading assessments for internal and external candidates, helped hundreds of people achieve their A potential, and trained thousands in guaranteed methods for improving their success. His client list is broad and diverse, including Fortune 500 companies, small to medium-sized businesses, and nonprofit organizations. Last year, Chris co-authored his first book, Foolproof Hiring, along with Brad Smart. The book provides an easy-to-follow instruction course in Topgrading, a time-tested hiring methodology for recruiting A-players.

In this episode…

Are you finding it challenging to assemble a team that drives growth and aligns with your company's cultural values? What if the key lies in mastering a specific hiring strategy and appreciating the significance of every team member, from leadership to the front lines? Could fostering the right talent be the secret to your business’ success?

Over the past six months, Chris Mursau, a seasoned expert in recruiting, hiring, and retaining top talent through topgrading, has interviewed executives who share insights into unlocking organizational growth. From strategies tailored to small businesses to implementing best practices in hiring and recruiting top performers, Talent Wins offers invaluable advice for organizations of all sizes.

In this episode of the Talent Wins podcast, Chad Franzen of Rise25 interviews Chris Mursau about the highlights and key takeaways from the podcasts over the past six months. This insightful recap provides listeners with a distilled version of the most impactful discussions, offering valuable lessons on talent management, team building, talent retention, and recruiting for any organization.

Resources Mentioned in this episode

• Chris Mursau on LinkedIn
• Topgrading on LinkedIn
• Topgrading
• Chad Franzen on LinkedIn
• Rise25
• “Mastering Talent Management and Organizational Growth With Eric Berger” on the Talent Wins podcast
• “Unveiling Talent’s Triumph Strategies for Business Success With Jason Mandel” on the Talent Wins podcast
• “Navigating Talent Acquisition for Small Businesses With Hannah Smolinski” on the Talent Wins podcast
• “Recruiting Top Talent in Small Communities With Lee Prosenjak” on the Talent Wins podcast
• “Integrate Solid Hiring Practices to Acquire Top-Tier Talent With Zach Wilcox” on the Talent Wins podcast

Quotable Moments:

• It’s as important to have A-players in those entry-level or frontline positions as it is to have in leadership.”
• "Making good-people decisions is the one remaining source of competitive advantage."
• "Always be recruiting, whether the unemployment rate is high or low."
• "Having a documented, written out step-by-step hiring process."
• "People are important — it doesn't matter how good your equipment is if you don't have the right people."

Action Steps:

1. Start from the top when building your team, ensuring your leadership is strong: Strong leadership guides the rest of the team and sets the standard for hiring quality at all levels.
2. Align employee incentives with your organization's goals: This ensures team members are motivated to contribute to shared objectives and business success.
3. Continuously recruit, even if there isn't an immediate job opening: Filling future vacancies becomes a smoother, quicker process by fostering relationships with potential candidates.
4. Document your hiring process and measure hiring outcomes: This will facilitate consistency and improvement in hiring and ensure a higher success rate in acquiring A-players.
5. Emphasize hiring for cultural fit, not just for high performance: A strong team culture leads to better collaborative performance and helps retain top talent for the long term.