Single Entrepreneurs versus Teams: Looking into the power of the “I did it” ” versus the power of “W
I have attended many workshops, retreats and conferences in various capacities; volunteer, on-site support, registered attendee or part of the speaking/panelist team. I have also been behind the scenes contributing to the planning and execution so I am very familiar with the work involved. However for the sake of this conversation the next paragraph will be based on the vantage point of a registrant.
As an outsider, in observing and evaluating the choice of venue, the room ambiance, the program/content, the extras and little touches, etc., I often wonder...is there a team in place? If not, what would the makeup of the team need to be? What individuals roles would be needed? What would be the structure of the team and what key skills would they need to possess?
Let me ask you this: Why do we hear so often that a successful business is about team? How can we have one entrepreneur’s vision and ambition succeed in the mix of a team?
My answer. I have come to the conclusion that the secret is to identify what your personal strengths and weaknesses are. As you continue to build your business, you need the humility to recognize that you don’t know it all and that you will need to build a complementary team around you.
Trying to do it all by yourself can have its downsides as it will certainly require you to devote all your time to completing key tasks and, depending on the idea you are working on, time could be of the essence in making your business a success. After all, every second you spend being "too busy" (on non revenue generating activities) you can not get back. In his book, “Empathizing with the Ego of the Entrepreneur” Robert Frith surveyed a sample of entrepreneurs and they agreed that one key skill required for the successful entrepreneur is “to have a great team around you.”
As Sam Walton, Founder of Wal-Mart has said: “Individuals don’t win in business, teams do.”
So I asked several potential investors and/or recipients of service that I know, “what they look for in evaluating a business?” Above industry knowledge and the idea - were the people within the team. Some of the key ingredients that they were looking for are the following:
· The Energy of each individual
· The Enthusiasm of the team
· The Knowledge and Skill of the individuals
· Interactions between the team: Can they work well together? Do they complement each other?
· Ability to work under pressure and through hard times
So, if you have a team or need to build a team it makes sense to check that the chemistry is there and the above ingredients have been put to the test.
In our opTEAMization program, we recognize that managing, working with or in a team can be challenging for some entrepreneurs who may have had no or limited experience developing teams. In order to mitigate that we will:
· Optimize your team resulting in an increase in your revenue!
· Activate a boost in morale, collaboration and empowerment!
· Provide a path to better communication, clarity and consistency!
· Ensure interactions with different colleagues to get familiar with different personalities, skills-set and points of view!
· Document formalized process and procedures!
How you ask? Learn more here.
Whether you are optimizing your existing team or building a support team from scratch, the importance of building successful teams cannot be ignored within the entrepreneurial journey!
It doesn't have to be scary.
It doesn't have to be expensive.
But if you aren't optimizing your team you are wasting valuable time in your business. Which we don't want.
Let's start #OPTEAMIZING!!
Ronette
P.S. For those of you who are interested in tips on how to optimize your teams, I have a free report, "Understanding the 5 Phases of Team Development". It is full of great nuggets of insight, tips and next steps in regards to management of team within the various phases.
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