This 2-Minute Sports Drill Helps Reduce Employee Turnover and Maximize Team Performance

By Tanvir Bhangoo

I played football in college about 80 pounds ago and was fortunate to be a part of a national championship winning team. What I learned on the football field has had a huge impact on my business career. I’ve leveraged many of those lessons in business, especially when it came to executing in disruptive, digital-first, changing, and chaotic environments.

One of these concepts is known as a depth chart.

What is a depth chart?

If you’re not a football fan, a depth chart is a snapshot of a team’s starting roster, along with the backups for each position. It allows coaches to have the right players in the right roles, with a contingency plan for each position.

There are two reasons why a depth chart is so important in the game of football:

Injuries during a game

Football is a game in which injuries are inevitable. A depth chart allows coaches to plan for injuries when heading into each game. Most positions have a designated backup on the depth chart. The starting player and backup practice interchangeably in case the starter gets hurt.

A depth chart also allows coaches to ensure that the starting players know the basics of the position next to them, in case a three-way switch is required due to an injury. For example, a wide receiver needs to know the basic routes of other receivers, and a running back needs to know how to play wide receiver.

Future planning: recruiting

Football coaches always plan ahead with a long-term view. The depth chart helps the coaches identify the players who will need to step up next year when a starting player leaves the team. It acts as a framework for the coaching staff to invest in developing the younger players to ensure they build the confidence and skills sets needed for the upcoming season.

Planning and preparing for these changes, in turn, allows coaches to keep their business operations (team) running smoothly, despite changes and unforeseen circumstances. It makes things less chaotic for the players involved; it removes uncertainty and fear, and makes it easier for the team to handle changes on the field. With a depth chart, the coaching staff and team can go into a game feeling confident and ready to handle whatever comes their way.

Leveraging a depth chart in business to reduce employee turnover

In business today, disruption is high. Competitive pressures are increasing, consumer demands are on the rise, technology is becoming commoditized, and the threat of new entrants is high. As a result, businesses are having to respond faster and pivot more frequently.

This means the amount of new projects, initiatives, pivots, and changes are only going to increase, which will require teams and roles to shuffle constantly to best attack future demands. As humans, we don’t like change. We like things to be steady and constant. And as leaders, when we don’t plan for change, we risk chaos, which ultimately leads to turnover.

A business depth chart allows you to plan ahead and fill any voids within the team to ensure business operations and execution don’t suffer. A depth chart will make your business operations less chaotic and seem less "last minute." It will allow you to anticipate the changes that need to occur, making things smoother. When your team knows what role they need to play, can anticipate changes, and feels confident in executing amid that change, they are more likely to push through.

As a result, in a world where over half of employees plan on leaving their jobs, the can help reduce employee turnover because your team is less likely to quit.

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How deep is your bench?

Here is a three-step assessment that will help you build and deepen your depth chart, and in turn, help reduce the risk of employee turnover.

1. Identify team members

Write down the names of all of your team members in no particular order. Whether you’re leading a team of executives, a department, or a cross-functional project team, in very few words, write down their key responsibilities or the areas they oversee below each name.

2. List backups

Now, under each name and role, write down who your number one backup is for that position in case the current team member was to leave today. Only put down a backup if that person can take on the new role and execute on 80% of the requirements of the role, as of today. It’s okay to add the same person as the backup to two positions. The idea is to see whether your current team can hold down the fort and execute without taking any major losses.

3. Look for gaps

Does everyone on your team have a backup? If yes, then you’re in good shape. If there are gaps, which we usually see for highly-specialized, skilled positions, then you need to work on deepening your depth chart.

For example, during this exercise with one of our clients, they realized that one individual was slotted as a backup for three executive positions. They also saw that there was no backup for a highly specialized role. Both of these were high-risk, red-flag situations that had to be addressed right away.

Depending on your results, you can address the gaps in your depth chart through cross-training, succession planning, scenario planning, and by building your pipeline of external talent.

A business depth chart can help you maximize employee performance

Having the right people who can step up, take on a stretch role, and also fill gaps in the team when needed can make the difference between winning a championship or not even making the playoffs. But it takes a long-term viewpoint.

Knowing your current situation, planning ahead, setting the right expectations with the team, and practicing for personnel change will allow you to get ahead of risks, and minimize chaos.

Take the time to prioritize your depth chart and plan ahead to help reduce employee turnover and maximize team performance. It will pay dividends down the road.

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