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 “winning” the wrong game?

Have you ever gotten so sucked into the idea of “winning” that you forgot that you’re trying to win something you don’t care about/isn’t important to you? Are you winning at work, but your health or family life suffering as a result?

Wake up everyday and live intentionally…

  • Look at your calendar. What do you have to do for the day? What are your priorities that need to get done?
  • Look at your goals (both short-term and long-term). Is what you’re scheduled to do bringing you closer to your goals?
  • Take a step back throughout the day to see if you are still in control…are you working on what you deemed was most important or are you putting out fires/reacting to what has come up? Don’t just do busy work. Work on the things that matter.

There’s not just “one” right way of doing things

If you find yourself stressing over making a decision, realize three things…

1) There are almost always multiple “right” ways of doing things. One way may provide the best results, but many factors help make an outcome better/worse. Don’t waste time or energy stressing yourself out deciding between two (or more) good choices.

2) We can never 100% know which action will lead to the best possible outcome. All you can do is try your best and make what appears to be the smartest decision with the information you currently have. Hindsight is 20/20. So if you find out that the decision you opted against might not have been the best, that’s ok. Just keep that in mind for future experiences.

3) Chances are, this choice will not change the outcome of your life. Yes, little decisions stack on top of each other and can lead to a snowball effect (good or bad), but if you mess up this one time, you likely won’t even remember it in a year (let alone next month or maybe even next week).

Are you really living?

Everyone dies, but not everyone lives.

Are you living your life to the fullest? Are there things that you wish to do “one day”?

Why not make that day today? Don’t wait until you are old to truly and fully experience life. Maybe you won’t be able to enjoy it because of your health. Or maybe you’ll find out that you love it, and you wish you would’ve had more time to be able to enjoy doing that activity.

Don’t let fear hold you back. Surround yourself with people who believe in you and encourage you, read uplifting things, watch inspiring videos, and then go do it! Actually experience it for yourself by doing it, not just reading, watching, or hearing about it.

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?