business | The Caleb Barney Collection

The best way to build a team

The best way to build a team is to surround yourself with people who have similar values as you (integrity, work ethic, respect, optimism, etc), but who do things differently than you.

Being a person of integrity means to do what you feel is right with the information at hand (even when nobody is looking), to be able to admit when you’re wrong, and to keep your promises. It’s usually “easier” to be a person of integrity if you don’t care what people think about you…if you believe an action is right, even if it’s not popular, you should do it instead of going with the flow.

If everyone is always learning/growing, the team will go much further than if they have to rely on one person to come up with all of the ideas. Learning/growing is part of work ethic, as is the willingness and ability to work dutifully for yourself, your team, and your clients.

If everyone respects each other, even when they disagree, they will be more open/receptive to hearing out the other team member’s opinion. You want different perspectives. You want people to be able to voice their opinion without fear of being ostracized. You don’t want everyone to believe the same thing, otherwise you might have a blind spot to a weakness in your team.

If everyone is optimistic, it doesn’t mean that everything is always good. But it does mean that you can find some good in any situation. Failure will make you stronger, give you experience, and teach you lessons better than success can. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel. No matter how bad things get, they can get better if you take action to make them better. We don’t want any victims here. No victim mindset. No “woe is me.” If you don’t like your situation, it’s up to you to change it. Nobody should care about your life more than you, so if you want things to get better, you need to be the one to take control.

Are you productive? Or are you just busy?

Don’t confuse busyness with productivity. Work on things that matter/move the needle. Don’t spend time on the trivial…eliminate that which isn’t necessary for you (or anyone) to do, automate that which can be automated (have A.I. help), and delegate that which needs to be done but not necessarily by you.

If you want to grow, you will HAVE to learn how to do these things. We all only have so much time and energy during the day. If we spend all of it doing things that don’t bring us closer to our goals, we are leaving a lot on the table.

Being busy is not necessarily the same as being productive. How can you minimize the busy work and focus on doing the most meaningful and/or dollar-productive work?

Your level of success depends on this

You can be mildly successful by never going out of your comfort zone, never speaking up or standing out, and never really risking much. But when you don’t risk anything, you cap your upside.

The best social media influencers realize this. Many of them say provocative things to increase engagement. The greater amount of comments on their post will tell the algorithm of Facebook, Instagram, etc that this is a popular or trending topic and then shows that to more people (which, if it really is a controversial post, often leads to more engagement). It’s a self-perpetuating cycle. To gain the greatest social media success, you can’t stay small. You have to be ok with people disagreeing with you (sometimes vehemently). It’s easier, and more comfortable, to not post anything. But if you don’t say anything, it will be harder to be seen. To maximize your success in this avenue, you need to be willing to step outside your comfort zone, to speak up, to stand out, and to risk being criticized.

I really don’t like using that example because I don’t want to encourage anyone to say something they don’t believe in just to get more likes, follows, comments, recognition, etc. But I used that example because I feel like many people can understand it. If you value comfort, stay small and unrecognizable. But if you value maximum exposure, you’ll have to take the good (success) with the bad (risk of failure).

A hedgehog or a fox?

Are you a hedgehog or a fox? This is based on Stephen Covey’s writing…

While it is naturally appealing to be a fox (to be good at many things, but not world class in anything), should our goal be to become a hedgehog (be laser focused on mastering one thing, being world class at it, and benefitting from it)?

The idea here is to go deep in one particular subject. Read about it, write about it, talk with others who have already done it (mentors), talk with others who are on the same path (mastermind), listen to books and podcasts, and teach it (to those “behind” you on the path and to those who are not yet traveling on that path).

Learn even more by experiencing it yourself…You’ll make mistakes along the way, but as long as you take the time to figure out what went wrong (or what you think went wrong) and then get back up and try again – you’ll be better for it. In fact, some people think failing quickly and failing often is the key to success.

Because we are amateurs when we first set out to do anything, we don’t know what we don’t know. Nothing will ever be perfect and if we wait for perfection to get started then we’ll never get started. There is no perfect time. The “perfect” time to get started is right now…

If we do finally decide to take action, despite all of our preparation (aka procrastination), we will still make mistakes. So it’s best to get those mistakes out of the way and “fail” quickly! Because, in reality, it’s only a failure if you give up. Otherwise it’s only a bump in the road.

Go deep. Master one subject then try to expand to other related areas after you’ve truly grasped one. If you spread yourself too thin, you might be able to become a Jack of all trades and a master of none. But that will take a long time. If you focus on one (like a laser), you can “quickly” master it and move onto another subject if your heart desires.

Leadership and development

“The way to develop the best that is in a person is by appreciation and encouragement.” – Charles Schwab

If you want to bring out the best in people, you must work on how you communicate with them. Here are some quick tips:

Be firm, but fair.

Be gracious.

When they do something good, reinforce that behavior by praising them for their effort.

Show your appreciation for them and provide encouragement.

Help them develop a growth mindset, not a fixed mindset.

If they haven’t done something right, it’s a learning experience, not a failure.

They can get to where we need them to be with the right attitude, practice, and learning from their mistakes (and the mistakes of others).

Occasionally, you may need to push them a little. People like their comfort zone. But if they want to reach their full potential, they will need to go outside of it.

Hold them accountable. If they say they’re going to do something, check in with them to make sure they’re on track to complete it. If they need help, you can help them brainstorm, but don’t just give them the answer. If you do this then they will always bring their problems to you and not try to think of solutions on their own.