067: How to Build Rock Star Teams (Even If You Didn't Hire One)

In this solo episode of Leadership Unplugged, Erik breaks down the myth that great teams are hired—and reveals the truth that they’re built. If you’ve ever felt stuck with an underperforming team or unsure how to level up your people, this is your blueprint. Erik lays out the three types of “team-building work” every leader must master, challenges the traditional approach to feedback, and introduces a deceptively simple tool that can revolutionize how your team thinks, acts, and grows. It’s practical, high-impact, and deeply human leadership—unplugged.

❓ The Big Question

What if the team you need isn’t something you hire—but something you build?

💡 Key Takeaways

• You can’t draft a team of rock stars—you have to develop them.
• The three pillars of building great teams: Training, Development, and Retention.
• Feedback loops must be intentional and consistent—or they don’t work.
• The most organic way to develop talent is through real-time support conversations, not just performance reviews.
• “60-second coaching” is the fastest path to unlocking someone’s potential.

🧠 Concepts, Curves, and Frameworks

• The Three Modes of Talent Work:
   → Training = Info transfer
   → Development = Unlocking potential
   → Retention = Aligning skills with personal vision
• Three Feedback Entry Points:
  1. You observe something
  2. They ask for feedback
  3. They come to you for help
• 60-Second Coaching Framework:
  1. Affirm that you do have ideas
  2. Build them up (“you’re probably closer to this than I am”)
  3. Ask warm, open-ended questions to elevate their thinking
• Feedback Loop Acceleration:
  • The fastest development happens before someone takes action, not after.

🔁 Real-Life Reflections

• Erik reflects on his own journey managing a team of 16 slippery sales guys—and how the best job description he ever had forced him to become a talent builder.
• He explores the trap of thinking training is enough, when in reality, most companies are already decent at that part.
• He shares how consistency in small feedback moments transformed his team’s performance and retention.

🧰 Put This Into Practice

• Set a rhythm for feedback. Don’t wait for it to happen—schedule it.
• Try “60-second coaching” this week. When someone asks for help, pause and say:

• “I have a few ideas, happy to share—but you’re probably closer to it than I am. What’s your opinion?”

• Audit your talent strategy. Are you only training? Or are you also developing and retaining?
• Prepare for the hard conversations. The better you prep, the easier it is to coach with calm and clarity.

🗣️ Favorite Quotes

“If you’re better than anyone on your team at what they’re supposed to be doing—you have work to do.”

“Training is how you transfer knowledge. Development is how you unlock potential. Retention is how you keep that potential aligned with their life goals.”

“If all you do is develop talent, they’ll leave you. If you train and develop and retain? That’s how you build rock stars.”

“Real leadership happens before the moment—not just after it.”

“You don’t need to have all the answers—you need to help them level up their own.”