I recently had a conversation with a client who worked for Ross Perot during the early days of EDS. He had a major responsibility – talent recruitment. My first question was, “Tell me about Ross Perot.”

His answer, “I have never worked for a more effective leader. He had the gift of inspiring people to want to join a start-up company for less pay and benefits than they could receive from other companies. People were fiercely loyal to our organization and would push themselves to levels of exhaustion to accomplish our mission.”

I next inquired as to how Ross Perot created this powerful sense of teamwork and loyalty. His response: “All prospective team members met with Ross prior to being offered employment. He asked each individual the following question, ‘What are your beliefs?’ Many responded, ‘that’s personal’ to which Ross answered, ‘I know, now tell me about your beliefs.’ The hiring decision was based primarily on how people responded to the question, as Ross wanted to uncover the core values (the heart versus the head) that guided people. If the answers related to position or power, these folks were not hired, as Ross Perot wanted team members who were committed to lasting values such faith, family, and impeccable integrity. In short, we wanted employees who were committed to serving each other.”

This conversation reinforces the following seven steps that are essential if you want to build a winning, passionately engaged team…

• Step One – Hire the right leaders

• Step Two – Hire the right people

• Step Three – Establish the right values.

• Step Four – The right behavior. This is the result of people living the right values such as treating each other with dignity and respect.

• Step Five – The right environment. The right people living the right values create the right environment that people want to join.

• Step Six – The right relationships. The right people living the right values in the right environment build the right relationships. The result is trust and loyalty – the foundations of all winning teams.

• Step Seven – The right results. When organizations follow the previous six steps they will ultimately build passionately engaged teams that dominate their field, whether it be academic, athletic, or business.

What are your beliefs? What do you really stand for?

And remember, it’s all about the relationship.