In conducting team building training and management skills training all over the world since 1995, I've discovered there are nine essential ingredients that consistently crop up in creating high performance teams. Listed below are the top nine beginning with communication.
High Performance Teams: 9 Things a Leader Can Do To Energize and Motivate Employees To Extraordinary Performance:
1) Communication: Open, honest communication between team members and the team leader about an organization's vision and clearly defined goals. Not to mention a team leader needs training in people skills and how to manage people effectively. Most team leaders are promoted based on their "hard skills" or technical skills, but it doesn't mean they can create high performance teams. They must become effective at communicating, listening and resolving conflict. And everyone on the team needs training in conflict resolution and how to be an effective communicator. Each team member has been raised differently from childhood in terms of what's acceptable communication. So training helps to keep the team leader and team members on the same page. The key is in becoming tactfully direct.
2) High performance teams possess purpose and direction. They have clearly defined goals, objectives and responsibilities. When I go into an organization and conduct team building training, team leaders tell me all the time how important it is for teams to understand their roles, expectations, and responsibilities. Team members want to know what specific goals and objectives they're being evaluated on. Make sure the performance objectives are measurable, quantifiable, and in writing for accountability. Have goals and objectives for the team as a whole as well as for each team member and include everyone on these goals. For example, if team members are in sales, a goal states in writing that each of them are to develop ten new accounts representing gross sales of at least $20,000 by December 31 of this year.
3) A key component to high performance teams is active participation, accountability and sense of ownership on the team leader's end as well as from the team members. Being a more powerful leader means being an involved leader. Participation and ownership also sets a precedent for what's expected of each team player – teamwork. One contributor to low team morale is when one or two team members hide out in the success of the rest of the team. Everyone else is doing the work. I guarantee you this is not going unnoticed. Hold everyone to the same high standards. Start taking progressive disciplinary action if a team member is not doing his or her job. If you don't take progressive disciplinary action you'll lose credibility as a team leader who enables poor performance.
Effective Team Leaders Are Listeners
4) Trust between team members and the team leader. Effective team leaders are listeners. They solicit feedback and listen to employees' concerns and suggestions. It's difficult for a team to be productive if there isn't trust between the team members and the team leader. Always do what you say you are going to do.That one thing you promise your team that you can't deliver will be the one thing they remember. In being a team leader and managing people, as the saying goes, "They remember your last act." Many employees don't quit their jobs. They quit their team leaders and managers.
5) Strong, effective leadership filtering down is essential to effective team building and creating high performance teams. A team leader must possess the ability to coach. Having a "coach mentality" and helping team members to grow, develop and mature is a necessary skill. It's part of your job! Don't do everything for your team members otherwise they never learn to do things themselves. Even if you're thinking, "Well, if I want it done right I might as well do it myself." Look at the word "team leader." You are there to lead.
6) Proper resources, funding and training necessary to get the job done. Do you have the right people for the job? Your people are your most important resource. Have they been properly trained? Do they have the right equipment to do the job effectively? Training is an important part of team building and leadership. Employees tell me all the time they want additional training to sharpen their skills. They want to be given essential tools that will develop their skill set. It makes them feel valued and important. As if their organization is willing to invest in them for the long term.
7) High performance teams believe in equality and a shared vision, shared sense of purpose. Everyone has a sense of inclusion. Everyone treats each other equally, fairly and objectively. The whole team is included in goals and even social events.
8) Respect. The team leader has respect for the team. This boosts the confidence of the team members. They have respect for each other which leads to increased morale, productivity and a high performing team.
9) Willingness to share job knowledge, skills, and ideas. The team leader is the role model. If you're willing to share knowledge and ideas, you're training your team to do the same. Better yet, include "willingness to share job knowledge, skills and ideas" in team members' performance reviews. If they know they're being evaluated on these factors, they're more likely to perform.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
How To Build A Team In Business And In Sports
I am in my office staring at a game ball with my name stamped on it, yet it’s not from any game that I played. It also has inscribed on it the signatures of some incredible people and they are not multi-million dollar NFL stars. Yet as I gaze at this ball, it brings tears to my eyes. It is a very special gift.
In my travels throughout the world, I have been honored to speak to incredible groups of people. Brilliant aspiring entrepreneurs. Tenacious corporate leaders with vision. Front line warriors waving the flag of inspiring missions. But in all my years I have to tell you that the most moving experience I had was on a cool autumn day in a crowded, sweaty team meeting room of the West Jordan High School football team. The ball is from them.
This group of young men under the leadership of their coach had all read my “ABC’s of Building a Business Team that Wins” book through their summer weight training. They then decided to create a Code of Honor for their team as prescribed in the book.
The results were amazing. They started off the season by upsetting one of the top-seated teams in the state and ultimately went on to make it to the state semi-finals for the first time in the history of the school.
Fortunately my travels brought me to their city in the middle of their season. Upon arrival, a friend told me about this team and their encounter with my book and asked if would take the time to speak to them. Of course!!!!
That afternoon moved me deeply. I asked the players what the biggest lesson was that they had learned from the Code and the team. The answer was so simple that you could have heard a pin drop when it was said that afternoon. They said that their biggest lesson was simply “being there for each other…always knowing that your team-mate was at your side.”
Amidst all the distractions, all the hormones and all of the craziness of teenager-hood these boys were becoming men. The intensity of their eyes, the openness of their hearts and the way they listened to everything I said, told me that these young men were more than high school football players. They were among the future leaders of our communities, our country and our world. They would have families, sons and daughters themselves someday and will have impact beyond their touch.
I don’t even quite remember what I said to them that day because I was so impacted by what they said to me and the questions they asked. But in a letter I sent to them before their next game, I sent them this message. This message is for you as well particularly as we approach this Holiday Season.
“In a person's life they have windows of opportunity to make a real difference in their own lives and in the lives of others. The difference that is made is not the stuff of headlines, news clippings or fanfares. It is about being there for someone else. It is about making a statement through your actions that speak louder than words.
It is about demonstrating fearlessness and courage and owning whatever comes your way with the congruence that you acted with all of your heart and all of your might. It’s about truly being yourself without worrying about what others think and inspiring someone else to be the best that they can be. It’s about trusting someone else unconditionally and having them trust you the same way. You all have been a model to thousands of folks, old and young, that you will never meet face to face. You have made a statement about your generation and have set a standard of honor and ‘team’ that few have experienced. Never doubt the power of your intention, your heart and the team.
As a facilitator of personal and organizational change, a trainer and a dynamic public speaker, what differentiates Blair Singer are instantaneous and sustainable results. His approach is one of high energy, intense and precise personal development and inspiration. His high impact approach and unique ability to get entire groups of people and organizations to change behaviors quickly, results in peak performance levels of achievement in extremely short periods of time.
In my travels throughout the world, I have been honored to speak to incredible groups of people. Brilliant aspiring entrepreneurs. Tenacious corporate leaders with vision. Front line warriors waving the flag of inspiring missions. But in all my years I have to tell you that the most moving experience I had was on a cool autumn day in a crowded, sweaty team meeting room of the West Jordan High School football team. The ball is from them.
This group of young men under the leadership of their coach had all read my “ABC’s of Building a Business Team that Wins” book through their summer weight training. They then decided to create a Code of Honor for their team as prescribed in the book.
The results were amazing. They started off the season by upsetting one of the top-seated teams in the state and ultimately went on to make it to the state semi-finals for the first time in the history of the school.
Fortunately my travels brought me to their city in the middle of their season. Upon arrival, a friend told me about this team and their encounter with my book and asked if would take the time to speak to them. Of course!!!!
That afternoon moved me deeply. I asked the players what the biggest lesson was that they had learned from the Code and the team. The answer was so simple that you could have heard a pin drop when it was said that afternoon. They said that their biggest lesson was simply “being there for each other…always knowing that your team-mate was at your side.”
Amidst all the distractions, all the hormones and all of the craziness of teenager-hood these boys were becoming men. The intensity of their eyes, the openness of their hearts and the way they listened to everything I said, told me that these young men were more than high school football players. They were among the future leaders of our communities, our country and our world. They would have families, sons and daughters themselves someday and will have impact beyond their touch.
I don’t even quite remember what I said to them that day because I was so impacted by what they said to me and the questions they asked. But in a letter I sent to them before their next game, I sent them this message. This message is for you as well particularly as we approach this Holiday Season.
“In a person's life they have windows of opportunity to make a real difference in their own lives and in the lives of others. The difference that is made is not the stuff of headlines, news clippings or fanfares. It is about being there for someone else. It is about making a statement through your actions that speak louder than words.
It is about demonstrating fearlessness and courage and owning whatever comes your way with the congruence that you acted with all of your heart and all of your might. It’s about truly being yourself without worrying about what others think and inspiring someone else to be the best that they can be. It’s about trusting someone else unconditionally and having them trust you the same way. You all have been a model to thousands of folks, old and young, that you will never meet face to face. You have made a statement about your generation and have set a standard of honor and ‘team’ that few have experienced. Never doubt the power of your intention, your heart and the team.
As a facilitator of personal and organizational change, a trainer and a dynamic public speaker, what differentiates Blair Singer are instantaneous and sustainable results. His approach is one of high energy, intense and precise personal development and inspiration. His high impact approach and unique ability to get entire groups of people and organizations to change behaviors quickly, results in peak performance levels of achievement in extremely short periods of time.
How to Be the Best Boss You Can Be
In today's highly competitive society, management skills are a must. With workers becoming increasingly freer to pursue careers and employers, and with corporate loyalty fast becoming obsolete, there is an urgent need for managers to be able to handle employees with skill and finesse that's unparalleled. There is a need to keep employees in the office and to keep them happy. A boss needs to become a very skilled people-manager if he aims to keep his talent pool within his business.
There are two P's that lead to becoming the best boss on the management field: Praise and Patience. These are the two things that I have seen that work best when one leads people.
I have a friend that used to be our high school's class president. We're doing our grand reunion this year, and I am the coordinator-in-fact. I was surprised when she praised me for my efforts. What reverberated in my mind was an amazement and wonder at such a regal (and yet simple) way to keep an “underling” happy. Honestly, it totally worked on me! And this is how I was able to note that true leaders really make a point to make their people feel appreciated and valued.
The next “P,” and the most important, is Patience. Patience is a virtue, as most people mouth. And honestly, it seems like it's a universal truth. Patience is what most people crave for, and it's what draws out good qualities in people.
When you, as a manager or boss, apply patience to your employees, you give them space to grow and breathe. Patience also benefits you in that you learn to let go of unnecessary stressing-out moments. This creates a net effect of smoother relationships between you and your employees, creating a healthier work environment, and thus increasing productivity.
If you want to know how to practice the two P's, here is a list of suggestions:
Exercising Praise:
-- Learn to observe when your employees do excellent or exemplary work. Note and praise immediately.
-- Always be on the lookout for praise-worthy and positive attitudes, traits, deeds and achievements of your employees.
-- When you do note flaws in their personalities or on their jobs, practice being gentle and using constructive criticism. Instead of: “That is the most sloppy report I have ever seen!” Say, “I like the detailed way you have created the report, however, it would be more impressive if it were more organized.”
-- Remember that there is no such thing as too much praise, if you do it correctly. The guidelines for praising are: praise only what you truly see. Do not attempt to praise nonexistent achievements or traits. That will only be flattery and will result in more laziness (because the employee will “rest on his laurels”), conceitedness, or other ill effects. Also, when you praise, do not do it only when you need something from your employees. Do so out of the blue (again, with basis and sincerity) once in a while, to show that you genuinely do appreciate them.
Practicing Patience:
-- Whenever you're in a stressed situation, instead of yelling at your employee, count to ten, take a deep breath, and rephrase the angry words forming in your head. It's never worth satisfying your rage, if the payback is a talented employee lost.
-- When your employee makes a mistake, give allowance, but set limits. Do not make ultimatums (I just don't like this practice), rather, show the employee you are serious with your standards by rewarding achievements and giving sanctions to mistakes. The first mistake can always be let go. But make it clear, in certain terms, that it should not be repeated, and the learning curve excuse can only be applied up to a certain point. Make sure that you set your demands realistically and according to the job at hand.
-- Practice forgiving (even just declaring your forgiveness to yourself) constantly. If you carry negativity towards your employee, you will always bear that mental image of his mistakes, and it will color your relationship. Let go constantly and remember that humans can never be perfect on this earth.
There are two P's that lead to becoming the best boss on the management field: Praise and Patience. These are the two things that I have seen that work best when one leads people.
I have a friend that used to be our high school's class president. We're doing our grand reunion this year, and I am the coordinator-in-fact. I was surprised when she praised me for my efforts. What reverberated in my mind was an amazement and wonder at such a regal (and yet simple) way to keep an “underling” happy. Honestly, it totally worked on me! And this is how I was able to note that true leaders really make a point to make their people feel appreciated and valued.
The next “P,” and the most important, is Patience. Patience is a virtue, as most people mouth. And honestly, it seems like it's a universal truth. Patience is what most people crave for, and it's what draws out good qualities in people.
When you, as a manager or boss, apply patience to your employees, you give them space to grow and breathe. Patience also benefits you in that you learn to let go of unnecessary stressing-out moments. This creates a net effect of smoother relationships between you and your employees, creating a healthier work environment, and thus increasing productivity.
If you want to know how to practice the two P's, here is a list of suggestions:
Exercising Praise:
-- Learn to observe when your employees do excellent or exemplary work. Note and praise immediately.
-- Always be on the lookout for praise-worthy and positive attitudes, traits, deeds and achievements of your employees.
-- When you do note flaws in their personalities or on their jobs, practice being gentle and using constructive criticism. Instead of: “That is the most sloppy report I have ever seen!” Say, “I like the detailed way you have created the report, however, it would be more impressive if it were more organized.”
-- Remember that there is no such thing as too much praise, if you do it correctly. The guidelines for praising are: praise only what you truly see. Do not attempt to praise nonexistent achievements or traits. That will only be flattery and will result in more laziness (because the employee will “rest on his laurels”), conceitedness, or other ill effects. Also, when you praise, do not do it only when you need something from your employees. Do so out of the blue (again, with basis and sincerity) once in a while, to show that you genuinely do appreciate them.
Practicing Patience:
-- Whenever you're in a stressed situation, instead of yelling at your employee, count to ten, take a deep breath, and rephrase the angry words forming in your head. It's never worth satisfying your rage, if the payback is a talented employee lost.
-- When your employee makes a mistake, give allowance, but set limits. Do not make ultimatums (I just don't like this practice), rather, show the employee you are serious with your standards by rewarding achievements and giving sanctions to mistakes. The first mistake can always be let go. But make it clear, in certain terms, that it should not be repeated, and the learning curve excuse can only be applied up to a certain point. Make sure that you set your demands realistically and according to the job at hand.
-- Practice forgiving (even just declaring your forgiveness to yourself) constantly. If you carry negativity towards your employee, you will always bear that mental image of his mistakes, and it will color your relationship. Let go constantly and remember that humans can never be perfect on this earth.
Let Your People Do Their Job - Free Your People Of The Shackles And Free Yourself For Bigger Things
I was away for 10 days in Lima, Peru and although I didn't do any business there, I'd certainly consider it for my next trip. The people there are industrious with the Peruvian made souvenirs. From trinkets to silver 950 the quality is excellent which shows a lot of pride by the people making the goods, many of them hand made.
Even cheap or inexpensive items are of nice quality. Very impressive.
*******************************************
You've taught your employees well and trained them to do the job you hired them for. Be it sales, reception, manufacturing, shipping or finance. Now you have to let them do their jobs.
If you leave your employees to do their jobs, you will surely be rewarded for the most part by the way they will handle your business. You should be able to delegate work to them and that will free you to take care of 'bigger' things. You will even be able to spend some time running your business, preparing for the near and far future, setting up new suppliers and clients.
There's no telling what this could lead to.
Yes there will be some people that don't do well without an immediate boss but you could probably a 2nd in command for them to lean on.
Let them all know what's expected. Let them know what you are doing to make your company excell. Let your employees know your goals and how you expect to get there. If you let them be a part of your company, they will think of it and treat it as their company.
REMEMBER YOUR GOAL:
Product Volume
Dollar Value
Dates
Measureability
Progress tracking
REMEMBER:
• Yourself• Employees• Staff• Suppliers• Customers• Community
FOCUS ON YOUR: - Business
- Product
- Customers
- Suppliers
- Employees
- Families
- Community
Is it all about Recognition, Promotional Products, Awards Program and Incentives? NO!! It's about business. It's about you. It's about them.
Even cheap or inexpensive items are of nice quality. Very impressive.
*******************************************
You've taught your employees well and trained them to do the job you hired them for. Be it sales, reception, manufacturing, shipping or finance. Now you have to let them do their jobs.
If you leave your employees to do their jobs, you will surely be rewarded for the most part by the way they will handle your business. You should be able to delegate work to them and that will free you to take care of 'bigger' things. You will even be able to spend some time running your business, preparing for the near and far future, setting up new suppliers and clients.
There's no telling what this could lead to.
Yes there will be some people that don't do well without an immediate boss but you could probably a 2nd in command for them to lean on.
Let them all know what's expected. Let them know what you are doing to make your company excell. Let your employees know your goals and how you expect to get there. If you let them be a part of your company, they will think of it and treat it as their company.
REMEMBER YOUR GOAL:
Product Volume
Dollar Value
Dates
Measureability
Progress tracking
REMEMBER:
• Yourself• Employees• Staff• Suppliers• Customers• Community
FOCUS ON YOUR: - Business
- Product
- Customers
- Suppliers
- Employees
- Families
- Community
Is it all about Recognition, Promotional Products, Awards Program and Incentives? NO!! It's about business. It's about you. It's about them.
GAS Up Your Team Building
Team building is inherent within all businesses even the single office home office. People do more working together than working separately. We know this from the efforts of horses when harnessed together pull more collectively than separately.
However, people like horses get tired. They lose motivation, focus and direction. The time is now to G.A.S. up your teams to truly have them become exceptional in their job performance.
Start first with goals. Robert Heinlein once stated that In the absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it.
Take this quote and turn it into action. Ask all of your employees to name the top three goals for the organization. If you do not receive exactly the same 3 answers for all of your employees, then your problem is communication. And the real concern should be is what are all of these missed steps costing your company?
Next look at the attitudes within your company. These attitudes are individual as well as those that are now cemented within the organization’s culture. Is there a do as I say and not as I do corporate culture attitude?
Some say attitudes are habits of thoughts. Are the habits of your team great or not so great? Effective team building must look at everyone’s attitudes and work to improve those attitudes from good to great.
Finally, look to develop self leadership skills in everyone from the top of the business to the front line workers. Business is really about people working with other people with the goal of some sort of gain. To improve these interactions requires strong interpersonal skills.
Sometimes, people think that team building is about putting together a group of people and have them do joint team building activities. This is a good team building strategy. However, if the individuals cannot accomplish individual goals or lead themselves, how can they truly work effectively as a team?
However, people like horses get tired. They lose motivation, focus and direction. The time is now to G.A.S. up your teams to truly have them become exceptional in their job performance.
Start first with goals. Robert Heinlein once stated that In the absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it.
Take this quote and turn it into action. Ask all of your employees to name the top three goals for the organization. If you do not receive exactly the same 3 answers for all of your employees, then your problem is communication. And the real concern should be is what are all of these missed steps costing your company?
Next look at the attitudes within your company. These attitudes are individual as well as those that are now cemented within the organization’s culture. Is there a do as I say and not as I do corporate culture attitude?
Some say attitudes are habits of thoughts. Are the habits of your team great or not so great? Effective team building must look at everyone’s attitudes and work to improve those attitudes from good to great.
Finally, look to develop self leadership skills in everyone from the top of the business to the front line workers. Business is really about people working with other people with the goal of some sort of gain. To improve these interactions requires strong interpersonal skills.
Sometimes, people think that team building is about putting together a group of people and have them do joint team building activities. This is a good team building strategy. However, if the individuals cannot accomplish individual goals or lead themselves, how can they truly work effectively as a team?
How to Develop a Team That Will GROW!
It is so important to continue to let your team mates know how important they are to you. I don’t think anything but true praise for a job well done or a job that is being well done will get more results that is being done well will make a person try harder, and feel great about the effort they are putting in. Just be sure the praise is true. I am sure you can think of something positive to say to each one of your team. Praise goes a very long ways.
Make sure you know why they are doing the business in the 1st place. Remind them of it often. The very things that you talked about before they became a team member and after when they firmed up those goals.
Encourage goal setting, short term and long. The dates do not matter, they can be changed, but the goal must always be there.
Make sure you and your team are working....if not find out why, you can not make them work but you may be able to move some stumbling blocks for them.
Make sure you are the kind of leader that they are or can be proud of, set examples, so they know what to do with the people they recruit. When talking to a group be sure to edify your coworkers as that is one way of building a strong bridge between one arm of the team and another. "so and so is such a great recruiter, you should really listen to what they are doing, I always take notes when they are speaking."
Strongly encourage listening to motivational speakers, even to the point of doing a conference call and putting someone motivational on the phone on your end.
Stratagize with them individually, what works for their budget? Car magnets or window clings, flyers, sizzle cards, free advertising on the net, post cards.... whatever works for them help them get it into place. The 1st week is crucial, and they need to start generating those checks while the enthusiasm is still at a peak. They get the check the rest is history, they are hooked.
Make sure you know why they are doing the business in the 1st place. Remind them of it often. The very things that you talked about before they became a team member and after when they firmed up those goals.
Encourage goal setting, short term and long. The dates do not matter, they can be changed, but the goal must always be there.
Make sure you and your team are working....if not find out why, you can not make them work but you may be able to move some stumbling blocks for them.
Make sure you are the kind of leader that they are or can be proud of, set examples, so they know what to do with the people they recruit. When talking to a group be sure to edify your coworkers as that is one way of building a strong bridge between one arm of the team and another. "so and so is such a great recruiter, you should really listen to what they are doing, I always take notes when they are speaking."
Strongly encourage listening to motivational speakers, even to the point of doing a conference call and putting someone motivational on the phone on your end.
Stratagize with them individually, what works for their budget? Car magnets or window clings, flyers, sizzle cards, free advertising on the net, post cards.... whatever works for them help them get it into place. The 1st week is crucial, and they need to start generating those checks while the enthusiasm is still at a peak. They get the check the rest is history, they are hooked.
Starting A Business, Who Is On Your Team
Just as you can not be all things to all people in your product or service offerings of your business, you can not wear all the hats in running a business.
There are many articles written about "Plan to Fail by Failing to Plan" that offer advice regarding the initial business plan which can not be understated, however; there are not many things written on how to adjust as you go to the "reality" of the day to day operation.
During the process of writing my business plan there was often a reference to "your team" in the classes at my Small Business Center at the local community college. My response to the "team" was kept to myself as I thought quietly that I was not going to be drawing a salary myself let alone have a "team."
The outline below describes my "team" a year later:
Team Member One: - Site Developer. I found out early on that I was not a site developer within two weeks of enrolling in a FrontPage online class and started immediately to search for those that could take my ideas and bring them to fruition.
Team Member Two: - Adwords Consultant. I was again reminded that while determination may be a virtue that being down right stubborn is not! Being "determined" enrolled me in a Google Adwords class and building my own campaigns. Not only did I waste literally thousands of dollars being so determined, I wasted valuable time as well, time that could have been better spent on the areas of the business that needed my undivided attention. The only good thing that came from this class was meeting someone that knew what they were doing and hired them.
Team Member Three: - SEO Optimization. While I blog, write articles regarding girls plus size clothing and participate in link exchange programs, I am anything but a HTML guru. The tags and where they need to be placed, dynamic pages versus static ones and the like are outside my knowledge base.
Team Member Four: - Business Credit. Yes, your business needs its own credit score and needs to stand on its own two feet financially. Starting a business out of your own pocket can adversely affect your credit score significantly and there will come a time that you may want to grow the business beyond your own ability to do so out of pocket. This means that your business needs to look credit worthy to a lender.
Team Member Five, Six, Seven, etc. - CPA for tax filings, lawyer for LLC, vendors extending credit, your family eating another frozen dinner and unpacking boxes after a long day at their regular jobs.
If I have left you with the idea that I have delegated all the work to others I am leaving you with a false impression. I am not just the idea person, someone has to coordinate the team members, provide customer service, buy the product, negotiate with vendors and pay the bills.
I took one thing away from my many years in HR and that was that I never wanted W-2 employees. So far contractors and consultants have done the work I have needed to have done. Now a year into the process I will never say never to employees, after all that would mean the business is taking off as planned.
There are many articles written about "Plan to Fail by Failing to Plan" that offer advice regarding the initial business plan which can not be understated, however; there are not many things written on how to adjust as you go to the "reality" of the day to day operation.
During the process of writing my business plan there was often a reference to "your team" in the classes at my Small Business Center at the local community college. My response to the "team" was kept to myself as I thought quietly that I was not going to be drawing a salary myself let alone have a "team."
The outline below describes my "team" a year later:
Team Member One: - Site Developer. I found out early on that I was not a site developer within two weeks of enrolling in a FrontPage online class and started immediately to search for those that could take my ideas and bring them to fruition.
Team Member Two: - Adwords Consultant. I was again reminded that while determination may be a virtue that being down right stubborn is not! Being "determined" enrolled me in a Google Adwords class and building my own campaigns. Not only did I waste literally thousands of dollars being so determined, I wasted valuable time as well, time that could have been better spent on the areas of the business that needed my undivided attention. The only good thing that came from this class was meeting someone that knew what they were doing and hired them.
Team Member Three: - SEO Optimization. While I blog, write articles regarding girls plus size clothing and participate in link exchange programs, I am anything but a HTML guru. The tags and where they need to be placed, dynamic pages versus static ones and the like are outside my knowledge base.
Team Member Four: - Business Credit. Yes, your business needs its own credit score and needs to stand on its own two feet financially. Starting a business out of your own pocket can adversely affect your credit score significantly and there will come a time that you may want to grow the business beyond your own ability to do so out of pocket. This means that your business needs to look credit worthy to a lender.
Team Member Five, Six, Seven, etc. - CPA for tax filings, lawyer for LLC, vendors extending credit, your family eating another frozen dinner and unpacking boxes after a long day at their regular jobs.
If I have left you with the idea that I have delegated all the work to others I am leaving you with a false impression. I am not just the idea person, someone has to coordinate the team members, provide customer service, buy the product, negotiate with vendors and pay the bills.
I took one thing away from my many years in HR and that was that I never wanted W-2 employees. So far contractors and consultants have done the work I have needed to have done. Now a year into the process I will never say never to employees, after all that would mean the business is taking off as planned.
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