
In C.S. Lewis’s Narnia book series, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Mr. Beaver is telling the four children about the Great Lion, Aslan when the youngest sister cautiously asked, “Is the Lion safe?” Beaver responded, “Who said anything about safe? Course He isn’t safe. But He is good!”
In our socially charged world, we have subconsciously sacrificed “good” for “safe” in our hiring and coaching, frustrating our development of a team that positively impacts our businesses.
When asked, my clients tell me they are looking for people with:
Trustworthiness;
Integrity while doing the right thing;
Honesty;
Engaging, sincere, self-starter;
Problem solvers;
Sees big picture;
Disciplined—dependable, responsible, accountable, works hard, timely;
Patient—making time and effort to grow knowledge and improve performance; and
Unselfish—puts the customer and business first.
What’s interesting, this list points to character values, not skill sets—redefining that today’s challenge in hiring and developing people, is not about generational age, but how people were raised—either with “Purpose or Victimization”.
Championship Coaches prepare by using scouting reports. No matter what profession- Doctor, Psychologist, Pastor, Service Tech, or CEO, you can’t fix what you don’t honestly diagnose.
Character/Attitude Scouting Reports
2016 Gallop Poll Study:
Only 29% of millennials are engaged; 55% are disengaged; and 16% are actively disengaged—more or less trying to damage the business;
Time management and attention to detail are millennial weaknesses;
Millennials were bribed to learn, do chores, and be obedient; they have unrealistic expectations of what they should receive in the workplace;
They don’t want bosses, but coaches;
They don’t want to improve weaknesses, but just want to improve strengths.
2012 Harvard research study, the effects of social media on the brain cause the same dopamine sensation and potential for addiction as sex, gambling, smoking, and drinking.
2014 report by the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology reported a link between use of Facebook and depression.
2016 Barna Study showed:
66% of Gen Z, 58% of Millennials, 50% of Gen X and 46% of Baby Boomers feel it’s ok to lie;
if made legal 79% of Gen Z; 81% of Millennials; 78% of Gen X; and 77% of Baby Boomers would use marijuana.
2019 publication cites multiple studies showing marijuana numbs and dumbs the user into incompetency and dysfunction, causing potential violence and mental illness (1).
Also, May 22, 2024, in the Journal of Psychological Medicine estimates that teens using cannabis are at 11 times higher risk of developing psychotic disorders compared to teens not using cannabis.
February 10, 2018, Jane Pauley, interviewing guest researchers on CBS Sunday Morning, reported:
46% of the population being lonely;
One in five millennials have no friends; and
Loneliness will become a greater death threat to millennials than smoking and obesity.
Recruiting and Coaching Strategies
Championship Coaches identify strategies that address the challenges, giving them a competitive edge. Those strategies should focus on coaching and mentoring their teams in:
Relationships
Purpose and the importance of helping customers succeed
Taking responsible risk
Fighting against fear/ learning from mistakes and failures
Discipline and persistence
Value—how to be valuable by serving others
Patience—the joy of improving/growing skills over time
Championship Coaching, looks for top draft picks, prioritizes character attitudes needed, and confirms dealership’s culture is aligned with those attitudes. Championship Coaches shouldn’t tolerate mediocrity.
Here are examples of information gathering and questions that help recruit character:
Their upbringing; ability to handle adversity;
Beliefs on lying, understanding of who pays their wage, should customers pay for wasted time, etc.;
Asking behavioral questions based on life experiences that give windows into unselfishness, and responses to past stressful and ethical situations;
Using the interview to reset potential hires’ expectations, by setting performance standards, and explaining the importance of the work;
Maintaining drug and social media standards; and
Defining exceptionalism/how they can be successful.
Results of Championship Coaching
Gallup tells us what a Championship Team looks like: Top quartile organizations facilitating employee- engagement resulting in:
10% higher customer loyalty/engagement
23% higher profitability
18% higher productivity (sales)
14% higher productivity (production)
43% lower turnover for low-turnover organizations
Gallup’s deeper study showed that during the Great Recession, employee-engaged businesses outperformed their peers “even better than above” during hard economic times.
Putting together a championship team is hard work, and requires creativity and patience. In addition, the championship mindset will actually generate a larger pool of top prospects to choose from because everyone wants to be part of a champion.
So, follow Mr. Beaver’s lead: don’t be safe; be exceptional, seek “Good”.
(1) Tell Your Children The Truth about Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence. Alex Berenson, Simon and Shuster © 2019

Bill’s 45 years in the AG and CE industry is driven by the passion, insight and expertise that creates success through innovation. He started with IH and has demonstrated success in territory sales management, effective Parts Training (31% average improvement of on-the-job performance), “Value-Added Selling” Commercial Training, turn around Product Management (increased product volumes and customer satisfaction) and customer needs driven New Technology application. His experience also extends into other small businesses where people, processes and business systems are critical. His product management includes Global Consulting Center around seed trench simulation, planter product design, agronomic yield impacts, and grower technology, equipment selection and spring preparation.
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