Do you notice how some teams always find a way to win every single time? Why is that? Do they possess supernatural powers that make them different than the others? What is their secret? Whether it is a sports team who always dominates their rivals, a particular team in a corporation who seems to constantly have an edge against the competition or a medical unit who always finds a way to do the impossible and save a patient’s life, these kinds of teams have something special going for them that separates them from the rest. This is true in sports, in the health sector but also in business.
You can take the example that is still fresh on every basketball fan’s mind around the world when the Cleveland Cavaliers came back from a deficit of 1-3 to win the championship against the defending champions, the Golden State Warriors in 7 games of last year’s final. Lead by their leader, Lebron James, the team brought a championship back and ended 52-year major sports championship drought in Cleveland. When asked about the historical comeback, he said: ”I was locked in, I changed my blueprint, but WE were able to put some spectacular games after being down 3-1”. He gave credit to his TEAM.
Winning is about having the whole team on the same page. – Bill Walton
No matter how much individual brilliance you have, you will never achieve real success if you are not able to have your team rolling with you. In the business world and as leaders in our respective fields, we must build a solid team around us and lead it towards success. How do we turn this concept into reality? What are the main components of building a rock solid team? Why should we even consider creating an unstoppable team?
Great things in business are never done by one person. They are done by a team of people. – Steve Jobs
Here are five simple and effective strategies for implementing a great team around you:
- Surround yourself with people who are unselfish and have a mission first mindset. As a leader, you need to establish clearly a common goal for everyone to accomplish. This way, the team understands what is their purpose and hold each other accountable for the overall team objectives rather than their individual aspirations. Ego is set aside, and everyone is working towards the same mission.
- Surround yourself with people who keep overcoming obstacles thrown at them. Some of the best individuals are the ones who are persistent, resilient and who can over promise and over deliver every time. As a leader, your job is not necessarily to be the smartest person in the room. Having a group of individuals who are hungry for success and can step up to face any challenges are the ones who usually make the team look great when it is all set and done.
- Surround yourself with people who have complementary skill sets. As a leader, it is your duty to form and assemble a group of individuals who will complement one another to achieve the team’s objective. Each person needs to have a particular skill set where he or she can contribute to the team’s goals in his or her own way. You are the generalist, and your team is composed of specialists in each area of the business.
- Surround yourself with people who are smart and competent. As a leader, forming a team of highly gifted and talented individuals is mandatory. This builds trust among the teammates and mutual respect. While it is true that it hard at times to form such a team, it is in the best interest of the leader to coach the people around him to level up on certain areas of expertise and therefore become a super team as time passes.
- Surround yourself with people who are authentic and genuine. As a leader, establishing roadmaps that help reach the objectives is often complex and requires a lot of team and energy. Having a team who is committed to the overall success and who works in the same direction as the leader is priceless. Authenticity plays a key factor when the leader has to delegate certain tasks to the team. Individuals with these traits will care and will do everything they have to do to make the business successful in the long run.
So there you go. I hope this provided value to the community.
Do you think there are other strategies that a leader can contemplate to build a great team around him or her? What are they?
Let me know your thoughts below.
Thank you for reading,