Posts Tagged ‘Leadership’

“Teams help ordinary people achieve extraordinary results.”


I am a firm believer in team work. Since the beginning of the industrial age group leadership has been based on the military model of command and control. Industrialist managed groups by pushing and forcing them. At best we got compliance and conformity. At worst we set up huge “we/they” gaps that lead to union/management conflict and lots of other problems. Group ownership, shared goals, creativity, and participation were minimal. In the bad old days, the boss’ idea of participation was like the kid who rode the sled down hill and “shared” it with his teammates to take it back up again.As this Aesop’s fable illustrates, even weaker people are powerful when united in a strong team. It’s one of the most effective ways to mobilize and energize people.

                                                                                                                       Teamwork

Teams are a key way to get people participating and involved. That leads to higher levels of ownership, commitment — and energy. Numerous studies of North American change and improvement efforts in organizations have shown that major gains in quality, service, or productivity are driven by huge increases in participation and involvement levels throughout those successful organizations.   There remains a story that stands to be very amazing in concept. A certain man had several sons who were always quarreling with one another, and, try as he might, but he could not get them to live together in harmony. So he determined to convince them of their folly by the following means. Bidding them fetch a bundle of sticks, he invited each in turn to break it across his knee. All tried and all failed: and then he undid the bundle, and handed them the sticks one by one, when they had no difficulty at all in breaking them, “There, my boys,” he said, “united you will be more than a match for your enemies: but if you quarrel and separate, your weakness will put you at the mercy of those who attack you.” Unity is strength. But most importantly UNITY OF PURPOSE is the ultimate definition of team work and synergy. Have u ever tried breaking a broom with little single sticks in half… How hard is it??? Very hard. Even strong men never get that far. Teams that are unified in purpose stand the test of time and people.

I simple say TEAM is WEALTH. In our world today people seek to grow wealth consciously or subconsciously. People that are caught up in the rat race also seek to break free one day but they never realize that doing it alone never gets them too far. Today’s highly effective teams have a broad ownership and participation in the team’s tasks and how everyone works together to achieve them. Team members and leaders share responsibility for the effectiveness of the team. One of the best indicators of the strength of a team is the “We to Me” ratio. How often do team members and leaders use “we” and “ours” instead of “I,” “me” and “mine” in their conversations?

Monumental achievements are driven by ideals passionately geared towards clearly mapped out goals. Teams answer questions that if individual answered would be limited in nature. Teams pull together resources that enable greater achievement for the greater good. Ideal questions like the once listed below are better answered by people who are unified in purpose to build a legacy of wealth that will stand the test of time and people.

  • Why do we exist (our purpose)?
  • Where are we going (our vision)?
  • How will we work together (our values)?
  • Whom do we serve (internal or external customers or partners)?
  • What is expected of us?
  • What are our performance gaps (difference between the expectations and our performance)?
  • What are our goals and priorities?
  • What’s our improvement plan?
  • What skills do we need to develop?
  • What support is available?
  • How will we track our performance?
  • How/when will we review, assess, celebrate, and refocus?

Teams develop answers and related action plans around each question. Bringing a team together with a shared focus and taking action to make it happen is a powerful way to mobilize and energize. Wealth is a legacy that can be attained individually but is better attained collectively. Team wealth is built to last strong and last long. The foundation of wealth is bent on tenets of principled work and when a team is able to consciously carry out principled work then the achievement is greater than that of an individual.

Teamwork is a subject we don’t here allot about in relation to MONEY, PROMOTIONS, WEALTH and even HEALTH. As entrepreneurs we are naturally inclined to “do things ourselves” Like the old saying goes if you want something done right you have to do it yourself. Although in some situations this may be true, most of the time using teamwork will get more done better and faster than you could ever do by yourself. Irrespective of how much you think you know, if you want to grow your wealth you have to be unselfish about working with other people. Putting you best foot forward.

Teamwork is against Social Programming

Haven’t you ever realized that team work is against social at strategic and critical stages of growth and development. The educational system for one says its OK to work on a project in teams but when it comes to the last major exam you have to do it on your own cause co-operation is called cheating. Now for some many folks reading this you might not understand this right away because we were all born into the system and we don’t see any farther than we are meant to. In the real world you work in teams for the most difficult project if you really want to win and build wealth. I always say a test or any exam of any kind is never a true test of any mans ability. Mark the word TRUE TEST… Instead the true test of ability is in a team setting where you have to narrow down on what is most essential for who and why.

There is strength in numbers and there are things way more valuable than money. The synergy and collective power of a mastermind of entrepreneurs is worth more than any purse can pay. Money comes from ideas and the best ideas come from a collective group of creative minds. Ideas don’t chase money, monetary resources chase ideas and an idea developed by a team becomes monumental in its ability to have resources chase after it and over take it in the process. For every idea you have; find a few people who can help magnify that idea and that’s the basis of WEALTH. Magnify the idea. Theres more to an idea than you can ever imagine.

Teamwork is worth more than a sale

I would rather be in a room of 100 great minds and me be the only one no one knows than be in a room by myself and have 100 raving fans. I would rather build a mutually beneficial team of 100 people than to get a commission from 100 customers. Teams and the collective creativity that comes from them are what creates real fortunes. If you ever have the chance of being part of a great team don’t let that opportunity pass because it might not be there tomorrow.

Stop trying to control everything and don’t let the fear of loss keep you from gaining everything you’ve ever wanted. Also don’t let your emotions blind you to despise someone on your team if there is a chance they may make a profit or gain a prospect for the services or strengths that they contribute. Everyone that adds to the strength of the team deserves to be compensated in some way or another.

Teamwork

And like I said before there are things much more valuable than money. For these are the things that create WEALTH which is more than money can ever buy. So Utilize the strengths of those around you and add to your team the gifts and talents you posses and together you will accomplish more than you ever could alone.

You might not last long but your ideas can last longer.

You might not live long but your legacy of wealth can live longer

You might not have what it takes to be rich; But you have all it takes to be WEALTHY

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In theory when people think if wealth they think of money or in most presumable cases anything that has monetary value to it but they fail to realize that that’s just the result of true wealth. Wealth is a state of MIND. It’s a state of mind that when wrapped around any idea brings about wealth or could also bring about poverty. Wealth is also a legacy that is born out of a wealthy mindset (MIND WEALTH… coming soon)
In part 1 We looked at concepts around building our own inspiration in order to build our own wealth. Recognising the ability, potential and value we already hold internally before seeking wealth externally. The need for a strong desire to learn new things which can have a powerful impact on our ability to innovate and be creative. The need to have strong courage in spite of fears and in spite of tremendous obstacles. We looked briefly at the need to have a very clear purpose when seeking to create wealth, since we can never arrive in any location unless we have a clear destination.
In part 2 we now look at some more principles that contribute to “rich wealth” creation.
1.     Building and maintaining a positive attitude. 
  • The path to any objective can be difficult. But for anyone seeking a path to wealth be it money, health, good relationships, happiness, fulfilment the perspective taken on that journey is the key to success and the key to failure. For those who can retain optimism, believe, faith, confidence, a positive perspective, a greater vision for the world around them even in spite of what reality maybe indicating, they hold the key to a greater outcome. As one of history’s greatest thinkers said “Happiness depends upon ourselves”, Aristotle. In essence, our attitude depends upon ourselves. And so our outcome depends on ourselves.
2.     Holding high ambitions. 
  • The levels of attainment in life and attainment in wealth are decided by us and no one else. The ability to achieve higher wealth in life starts with the need, the desire and a higher ambition for wealth. As is well known a shot for the stars which fails cannot not leave any one in deprivation. However, a shot for the roof that fails may not end quite so attractively. High ambition can only be a win win scenario, since failure can still mean success and success of course means success.
3.     The need to take action. 
  • The thinking process, the perspective taken, the level and intensity of desire, the dreams, the strength of beliefs, the courage, the strength of purpose and the power of ambition are ultimately of no relevance until we are willing to enact what we desire in wealth. This may seem like a very obvious point, however when we look at the number of people who go through life with ideas, desires, dreams, ambitions but never act on them its fair to say that the world would be a better place they did. More over civilisations advancement would be swifter if dreams were empowered with relentless actions and dedicated activity. This one principle alone can often explain the difference between the “potentially wealthy” and the “actually wealthy”
4.     The desire to provide leadership
  • If standing at the front of the room can present challenges when trying to achieve an objective, imagine what it would be like sitting at the back of the room when trying to achieve the same objective. To achieve greater wealth often requires leadership, and need to step forward into the light. Leadership requires the utilisation of characteristics that fortunately most of us already possess. “A purpose is to serve. To serve is to lead. To lead is to inspire. To inspire is your purpose”. Focusing these traits towards a clear but shared purpose and utilising the ability to communicate that purpose to others can potentially lead to the enhancement of wealth of many different kinds. True leadership does mean giving more to those around us. A wealthy man and an example of this type of leadership once said “Good leadership consists of showing average people how to do the work of superior people”. John D. Rockefeller. Leadership just like wealth creation is not just about being able to see the top of the mountain but taking each step along with those around us.
5.     Rich wealth creation comes from understanding the VALUE within one’s self in order to materialise the VALUE outside one’s self. 
  • This is the most important principle of all. Any wealth creation is an internal not an external concept. While anyone can ultimately achieve health, happiness, riches, good relationships and fulfilment we first have to see these things within before they can ever manifest in reality. The motives, the intentions, the morals, the values given in acquiring wealth must also be pure if the giver wishes to become a true receiver of “rich wealth”. “All the breaks you need in life wait within your imagination, Imagination is the workshop of your mind, capable of turning mind energy into accomplishment and wealth”. Napoleon Hill.
I hope you can extract as much VALUE as you possibly can from part II, along with part I. look forward to sharing some ideas with you again. If you have any comments, please feel free to share them.
Thanks a million
“… it’s just a way of staying ALIVE”