Build a Gold Medal Staff

Top employees are like gold-medal athletes -- motivated, well trained people who are willing to make personal sacrifices for the team.

Certainly a competitive nature is important, but it doesn't work well for your company unless it's accompanied by a deep sense of loyalty and responsibility.

If you want to infuse your company with a gold-medal spirit, look for these gold-medal winning qualities when you interview new hires or promote from within:

1. Gold-medal employees go above and beyond expectations. They don't stop when they meet the minimum goals for their jobs -- they strive to set new records.

2. Gold-medal employees offer solutions, not problems. They don't just say, "You have a problem boss." Instead, you hear, "We have a problem -- let's see if I can figure a way to solve it."

3. Gold-medal employees bounce back. When they fail, they don't let it get them down. They admit the mistake and find ways to fix it.

4. Gold-medal employees don't make excuses. They don't blame others for their own errors. They take responsibility.

5. Gold-medal employees finish tasks on time. They set interim deadlines for long-range tasks and they don't panic when the work is due.

6. Gold-medal employees shoot for a good record, not perfection. They know their capabilities. People who seek perfection tend to get frustrated and put themselves under so much pressure that they rarely accomplish what they're capable of doing.

7. Gold-medal employees think ahead. They try to plan for all possibilities so they're prepared for the unexpected. Result: Your company experiences fewer unpleasant surprises.

8. Gold-medal employees don't dwell on their successes. They know there's another job to be done and quickly move on.

9. Gold-medal employees don't assume too much. When they have doubts, they ask for clarification.

10. Gold-medal employees negotiate deals and get going. They don't wait for numerous orders to be sure they're doing everything exactly the way you want.

Of course, no one individual is likely to possess all of these traits. But the more of these a person displays, the more likely your company will reach its goals. And one gold-medal employee can be worth three mediocre workers.