Creating Your Successful Team

Is there some big secret that leads to a successful business? Are there certain business models, processes, or strategies that set a venture up for growth and achievement? In most cases, yes. Although all the previously mentioned factors play a vital role in building a company’s success, there is a singular factor that can determine the life or death of a business. Every business or venture needs a strategically built team, focused on growth, vision, and longevity. There is a narrow window for success without it. The importance of a strong team in the pursuit of success must not be overlooked. Precursing a successful team is the process of building said team. Designing your team from assistants to high-level executives will take time and deliberation, but there is a handful of important “Do’s and Don’ts” when building your team.

Six Initial Steps To Building A Successful Team

Article Written by Regan Hillyer for Forbes Magazine — April 27th, 2021

Where are you in the process of building your business team? Are you just starting out in the team-building journey and tentatively finding your footing? Or, do you already have the foundations of a steady business team and are looking to expand into a more productive unit?

You may have read my recent Forbes Coaching Council article about being an entrepreneur vs. a solopreneur. This article emphasizes that as your business grows, the biggest impediment to its future growth is you. You are likely not relinquishing control to let other subject matter experts assume control of different areas of the business, thus allowing you to return to what you are best at doing.

The trouble with doing it all yourself.

When I first started out building my online business, I did everything myself. I was sending out all of the online messages and responding to them, fixing the click funnels link, editing my own videos and, of course, coaching my clients. I was doing absolutely everything, which meant doing some things that I didn’t enjoy and wasn’t the best at.

I decided to hire a team member. But, you know what? I was terrified. What if I hire someone and I can’t afford them? Surely, someone of any use would be quite expensive. What if they weren’t honest or trustworthy? What if they undermined the goodwill that I had built up through pure hard work?

This was a challenging position to be in because I loved what I was creating, but it was exhausting, and I only had time for the business and no time for my own education and upskilling. Needless to say, I took the plunge and never looked back. After I started layering up my team for specific needs, I saw that my time was freed up and the results for my business, especially financially, started massively increasing.

The importance of building your dream team.

If we fast forward to now, I employ a team of forty-five incredibly talented individuals, from a mix of amazing virtual assistants through to high-level specialists, and they are all in alignment with my brand, as well as scattered all over the world. It is a joy to have so many rockstars contributing to my business vision each and every day.

I do wish that I had someone lay it all out for me in the beginning. To tell me where to hire from, what sort of people to hire, what sort of people not to hire, what are the biggest mistakes made when hiring people, how to make sure the team is aligned with the vision and how to scale my team. Unfortunately, I learned it all the hard way.

So, I have put together a simple list of six initial “Do’s and Don’ts” to either apply before you start the hiring process or to assist in growing your current team.

Do: Know your game.

Set your compass and decide what the next level actually looks like. Ask yourself what you want to create. What is your core vision, where are you going and what is your endgame? Until you are completely sure of your facts, don’t progress forward into Stage Two.

Do: Know your team’s vision.

You need to share this vision and build on a partner relationship. The aged model of “I am the shiny one and you do my bidding” has completely gone. You are in a cooperative workspace and you need everyone on board with what you’re trying to do, not just there to take direct orders.

Do: Radiate attraction.

You need to attract your “dream team” and they must want to see and be a part of your vision. You need to invest in their training and help them embody excellence. Those who are not fully on board will either soon drift away or you will find that they are not gelling with the intent of the rest of the team.

Do: Be the CEO.

I used to think that you first had to be the solopreneur, then the entrepreneur and then the CEO — in that progression. You don’t. As long as you are embodying the creation of systems, automation and leadership, then you are the CEO. And this is what you must be aiming for.

Do: Hire the right people.

There are many sites where you can draft and place a simple job advert. You can hire either full or part-time or job by job. It is not unreasonable if you are seeking to hire full-time to initiate an initial three-month trial. Compatibility is important. The next important aspect after hiring is to note how the contracted work is carried out. How are the deliverables managed and is the work posted in a consistent and reliable fashion?

Then you will see who you want to continue to work with. If you are continually elated with the standard of completion, ask the employee if they have any friends, family or colleagues who are interested in work as well. You will be building a strong tribe right there.

Do: Create a big-picture vision.

A team that grows haphazardly and only in response to reactions and oblique trajectories will not be a cohesive unit. Your role is to cultivate the vision and ensure that everyone is on board with it.

Remember, regardless of what happens in these initial steps for you, it is all a learning curve and, as such, invaluable for your experience. The most important step is recalibrating yourself to ensure that you know where you are going and the clarity of your goals. Article Written by Regan Hillyer for Forbes Magazine — April 27th, 2021

Building a successful team is more than finding candidates through job boards and assigning tasks. After the rigorous efforts of onboarding, you have yet to determine the person’s complete role, past their title. You have yet to find out how the individuals on your team will interact and work together. You have yet to figure out the best way to lead your team. Although there are a lot of moving parts within building your team, one thing remains true. Selecting individuals and growing teams is a never-ending process. You and your team should always be evolving to maintain success.

So, have you been building a successful team, or simply a group of individuals who work together?