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Who’s On Your Team?

By September 26, 2016February 14th, 2019Articles, Leadership

teamIt’s interesting how isolating business and leadership can be. So many people can surround us and yet we feel lonely. I was speaking with a Director of a large practice only last week who was saying this exact same thing. Even though there are over 100 people in the practice this person felt like they were in it alone.

John Maxwell has an a great quote “Teams make you better than you are, multiply your value, enable you to do what you do best, allow you to help others to do their best, give you more time, provide you with companionship, help you fulfill desires of your heart and compound your vision and effort.”

I love this quote. Often when we mention teams we think of the people working for us in business. I have worked with some incredible teams of people in my varied leadership roles and they have done all of the above for me. Having a team of people around me was very rewarding. The value of a motivated and high functioning team can’t be underestimated and business generally can’t grow without one. However, I don’t believe the value of a team, as John Maxwell mentions above, is limited to those working for you in business.

This was a big lesson for me when I stepped out of my corporate career into my own business and realised my team was limited to those in that organisation. I didn’t have a ‘Julie Hyde’ team and that was incredibly difficult for a number of years until I eventually did build my team in a different way.

With the business world changing at a rapid rate, remote working becoming more attractive and the march to entrepreneurship increasing, the traditional meaning of ‘team’ is evolving. We need to ensure we have ‘purpose built’ teams around us now in addition to those you have working in your business. This is important for some many reasons. Some including:

  • Support when things become challenging
  • To bounce ideas off to assist in decision making
  • Celebrate wins you can’t necessarily celebrate with your direct team
  • To provide a reality check when required
  • To challenge your thinking
  • To keep you accountable
  • To build a referral network
  • Enable you to contribute
  • To remain relevant
  • To inspire you and keep you motivated
  • Enable you to make an impact externally
  • To extend your scope of influence

A purpose built team that extends beyond your organisation and immediate team is invaluable. I wouldn’t be where I am today without my team and I’ve spent many years building my team. Without them my existence would be very lonely and I would’ve been stuck firmly in my comfort zone. My team has enabled me to grow way beyond what I ever thought I was capable of.

So my question to you is: ‘who’s on your team’?