"Get people into slots they are good at, let them do more of what they do well and they will become winners." - Gavin Cowley and Jenny Handley

Which should happen first, choice of the captain or choice of the team?

In an ideal world, the captains are able to choose their teams. In reality, a captain inherits someone else's selection, gets to know the players and then puts his or her own game in place. Often newly appointed leaders will change the game plan just to assert themselves, but one needs to learn from those who have gone before you, to learn from their mistakes. It is more cost-effective to retain and re-train than find new players.

Here are three tips for picking your best team:

Know yourself. Know your gaps and fill them. Surround yourself with people who complement your skills and abilities and make sure that your team works well with your leadership style. Ensure that there is enough duplication in your team to cope with injury and replacements and have sufficient talent on the bench. People work for their leader as a person, not just for the team or organisation.

Find the best team players. This is really time-consuming, but an investment that pays dividends and translates into victories. Do not be averse to going with your gut feeling. There is nothing more valuable than intuition and you need to let it develop. Does this player suit your brand? Enough to look and live the position?

Make an informed decision. Putting the perfect team together is not just what you see on paper. In an interview, what questions should be asked? Both the captain and player should prepare.

The captain should follow up on references, know what is needed and prepare an outline of expectations. He or she should then be able to communicate the proposed field of play to the prospective team player. References need to be sourced from team-mates they have worked with, not just those captains they have worked under. It goes back to the concept of preparation, practice and play. Let players display their skills - give them a situation in which they are asked to perform.

Ultimately you must be able to feel their passion. Ask them what unleashes their passion and find out what they do for fun.

This is an extract from Raise Your Game by Gavin Cowley and Jenny Handley. For details of the book, training materials and motivational presentations, contact info@jhpr.co.za.