The World’s Leadership Guru, John Maxwell shares that “One is too small a number to achieve greatness”. If your dreams and goals include impacting your communities, countries or the world, the second tip of this 4 part series is perhaps the most important for you.
In the 1st part of this series, 4 tips were identified to assist you in achieving your goals. They are:
- Chart a course
- Build A Team
- Expect delays, disappointments and set backs
- Stay focused
Last week’s blog discussed charting a course. This week, we’ll take a look at the second component which is building a team. While it is possible to gain success as an individual, the impact of your dreams can extend further if you team up with other likeminded individuals. It is important to ensure the people on your team have the following;
- They share your vision. They are as passionate and as driven as you are in pursuing and achieving the goal.
- They are as strong as or stronger than you. It is often said that iron sharpens iron. Add people to your team who will challenge you to think. These should be people who think differently from you and who will add value by offering ideas and suggestions you may not necessarily consider. It is important to note that your team should also include people who are strong in your area of weakness.
- Ensure your team members are allowed to function in their areas of strength. This is how you increase and maintain the drive and momentum of your movement. People operating in their areas of strength are happier to participate, self-motivated and more productive.
- Find people with the specific skills needed to make the dream a reality. As you build your team, don’t just select random people. A part of the mapping process in the 1st part of this series is charting a course. As a part of charting your course, you should identity the types of skills required to achieve the goal. Now it’s time to select team members with those skills but make sure that their attitudes also align with your vision and mission. People with the right skills who have poor attitudes will hinder your success.
Helen Keller reminds us that “Alone we can do so little; Together we can do so much.” By building a team and aligning yourself with the key individuals needed to make the goal achievable, you set a firm foundation to build on. To help the team remain focused on the goal, be sure to remind them consistently of the team’s vision and mission. Motivate and guide them in the direction of the goal. Note that there will be challenges to overcome and in the 3rd part of this series, we will look at how to expect delays, disappointments and setbacks and plan for these.
Tip of the Week: Focus on building a strong team. Take the I out of team and make the team about achieving the purpose and not about focusing on the leader. Essentially this means keep your ego out of it.
