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There are some key fundamentals to building and growing a team of leaders, but what’s really important is guiding them to become absolutely bulletproof. What does that mean? It means helping them deal with the ‘not so fun’ stuff that can affect their self confidence and self worth, which may take a hit every so often.
Now, let’s go over them.
1) Just Because Something is Unseeable doesn’t Mean it’s Not There.
When building a vision for ourselves whether it’s in business or in the realm of our personal goals we have to draw upon many things that are unseeable – often referred to as a “gut” feeling, a strong hunch, our deep faith or intuition. Many of us have been programmed to believe in what we see or hear in a concrete form that is undeniable.
But knowing about the unseen forces that play behind the scenes and having faith to continue on our path or journey even when we cannot see the immediate reward, that is where the huge pay off comes. Things are silently growing and transforming into something new even if we can’t see it with our eyes.
2) There is a Gestation Period for Everything.
Gestation comes from the Latin ‘gestare’, which means to bear, or give birth to. We can talk about the gestation of fetus before it’s born, but we also use gestation to talk about ideas. If you’ve been vaguely thinking about starting a business for the last year, then that idea has been in gestation. Some ideas take longer to develop and grow than we expect. The time period may be unknown and so we may have to rely on our inner faith or mentors who have been down the similar road as we are on. They can see the curve ahead on the road.
Our new business ideas or projects we set out to do are silently growing into something and for a while it can look like nothing is happening. Unfortunately this is when many people will pack it in. But if we could just remember that a seed is the process of becoming an apple even though for a long time it doesn’t resemble anything like what we know as an apple.
3) Transferring Belief and Vision is Our Responsibility.
If you have a team, staff or partners joining you in a venture then you have the great privilege of holding that vision everyone. It’s our responsibility to work at first choosing something worthwhile to believe in, transferring the excitement and belief that it is a worthwhile endeavour and then sharing the possibilities and the dream of it to those who are joining us.
If for one instant, we let ourselves falter and begin to question the vision, then soon after we stop having faith in it, we will soon find our team is lost and likely will quit. No one will follow a leader who hasn’t a clear idea of where they are going and why. We must become ten foot tall and bulletproof ourselves and then we can help our teams to follow those same guidelines.
4) Go to the Mountain View.
My job as the leader, is to keep holding up the highest possible view of that vision. It’s like navigating land mines in a desert. I can see all of them from high up on a mountain, but if I crawl around in the dirt I will probably bump into one of those mines, and then my dream and everyone else’s will destroyed. The possibility of any forward movement is prematurely thwarted.
One of the easiest ways to achieve that high-level view is, is to have mentors who have already been to the top, transfer that knowledge and experience on to us. It’s only from that highest point that we can assess our challenges and reorganize or refocus.
5) Step Away from Emotional Traps.
For any business owner or entrepreneur leading a team, learning to step back and objectively study where there are cracks in the foundation is vital. Quick effective decisions following these assessments will get you back on the path losing very little time and productivity. This applies to our own emotions and we can take the same higher view – managing our expectations, recognizing our flaws, weaknesses and limiting beliefs then we can help both ourselves and our teams overcome so much more.
Having a detached and professional approach requires clear focus and a plan you stick to no matter what you feel on any given day. We need to hold ourselves and others accountable to a bigger vision and not allow minor upsets to distract us. A winning attitude will let you feel the emotions and rise above them. In truth we are in absolute control of our thoughts and emotions if we simply take a moment to step back.
6) Find a Team Scout.
Mentors or coaches can save you so much time and preserve your energy. So instead of having to climb over all the obstacles ourselves, we can allow “Mentors” who are in a sense like a ‘Team Scout’ leading us to that viewpoint. They have already gone on ahead, assessed the terrain and can help us find a shorter, easier path to the top.
Why would anyone want to take the longer more difficult way if you didn’t have to? In coaching my teams I am always aware that we can simplify so many things in life if we just seek out mentors, and then follow them to where we want to go. Surrender some control and trust in the process. When we do this, we preserve our energy for more important things.
7) A Rocket Makes Course Corrections – So Do We!
Any successful manager or leader knows that their people need connection, nourishment, focus, direction, support, acknowledgment, our compassion and respect. If all of that is added to the recipe along with a faith that we know where we’re headed is the right direction, then nothing can stop us. We launch that vision and make course corrections along the way.
You may hit a detour in the road – that is bound to happen, you may lose your way when some unexpected obstacles show up, and you may even feel like you chose the wrong path and then begin to feel the doubts. All of this questioning and lack of commitment leads to you losing faith that any of your goals can come to fruition. But if like the rocket, you make minor adjustments to your course and follow the manual that has already been created, we have a far greater chance of reaching that goal.
8) Persistence Pays Big.
It’s the persistence and constant corrections that we learn to practice and accept as part of the journey that get most of us to the finish line. Without those attributes, Einstein could never have discovered the theory of relativity, man would have never landed on the moon and great works of art like Da Vinci’s Sistine Chapel would never have been realized. Imagine if they just gave up when they hit a challenge?
We have to know the difference between a worthwhile goal or something that we just do out of habit and no longer no the importance that was attached to it. I see people quit on themselves every day. They may come up with all kinds of excuses, fears and self-limiting beliefs to justify giving up and if you give in to those, you are absolutely going to be defeated. Sharpening your ability to listen, learn, adjust, make new commitments and just keep going is what success looks like.
9) Darkest Before the Dawn.
We’ve all heard this phrase and even though it’s a fact in nature, we somehow dismiss this as a meaningless cliché. Why is it actually dark before dawn? It’s dark because that is the flow of things – the dawn cannot just happen, it needs to come from something. Dark and light are a constant reality. If the darkness we avoid was simply called “Growth” and then add change, pain and maturation, these are all natural processes and cannot be altered either.
If I want to grow as a person I must learn through experience what doesn’t work and as we head towards the dawn of recognition, self awareness, enlightenment, all of that is preceded by stumbling in the dark and feeling confused, off track and off purpose. Maybe that is the way of things and we should all embrace that in some way, knowing that dawn most certainly will come just as nature intends it to.
10) Ask for More Pain and Obstacles – Not Less.
If we could completely alter our mindset into one that says “Instead of resisting pain and challenges, perhaps we should embrace them and let them teach us what we most need to learn. Because at the end of the day we are all seeds of creativity trying to burst out of the ground and grow into something great and beautiful.
Everything that exists in the universe must overcome something. Even flowers trying to bloom have to deal with harsh elements such as wind, rain, disease, and so must we. And like those flowers, if we give ourselves enough time, enough light and nourishment we too, can and will survive a great many storms and setbacks and become stronger with each season that passes.
I do hope some or all of these tips resonate, so that you can implement them into your leadership training. Make it fun and interactive and you’ll be off to the races!
There is really no better time than NOW to take action and build your teams to higher levels of success and I wanted to offer a free consultation to help you in your team building efforts… click here to contact me.
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