Sara Hand

“Have you ever been on the winning team?” For those that have, we know it is an experience of a lifetime. Yet as good as being a part of a great team can be; the team building experience can also be devastating.

As a business development specialist with a MA in Marriage and Family counseling, my perspective might be somewhat unique. However I see many similarities between building a marriage and developing a team. The most valuable thing any couple considering marriage can do is to invest in pre-marital counseling. And similarly, if a leader takes the time and effort to clarify intent among the members of your developing team the process of reaching a real place of performance.

“Why, and what does this mean for my business and my team?” you wonder.

In building a team there are various stages of growth and development, and some of these stages aren’t all that fun. How and if a team moves through these will be determined by the skill of the leader. When leadership takes the time to discuss in the beginning the reasons the team has come together; when they clearly identify rules of engagement with a  commitment to the team members and purpose , and model communication and effective conflict resolution…teams move on to perform incredible feats.

This last year was a challenging year.  Everyone was presented with change of some sort. Yet the challenges presented, did not produce the same results in each person.  How did you respond? Did you jump up and down and embrace change joyfully? Did you initially resist? Are you still resisting? Did you climb back into bed and pull the covers over your head? Did you shut down? Did you do a combination of those things…before embarking on your course of change?

The journey of the hero is one well documented throughout history. All heroes face difficulties and at times they want to quit. Although there may be many characters in the story called your life, we are all a part of a much bigger story. In your story, you are the main character…the hero.  Mentors and traveling companions join will join you on this journey, as well those who could be considered enemies. The journey won’t be easy, yet through adversity and trying situations the hero will survive. During this journey the hero is transformed, accomplishing what they call character development.

Heroes learn to believe that:

• Life is sooooo much bigger than me.
• Each individual has a responsibility to reach toward their best self.
• Each person has a circle of influence, for some that circle is bigger than others.
• Leadership comes from influence.
• Everyone has the potential to be a person of influence
• Becoming the best “ME” allows others to become the “best” of themselves.
• Each of us can make a difference.
• Making a difference happens with one small decision at a time.
• If not me, if I don’t step forward when presented with opportunity, then who?

During the journey the hero discovers powerful solutions and answers that if he has the courage to return, when he returns, hold the potential to transform/rescue his world. It was Joseph Campbell who was credited for bringing this attention to the Mythic and Archetypal principles embedded in the structure of stories. According to him:

For a human hero, it means achieving a balance between material and spiritual world. There is freedom to live and freedom from the fear of death. This is sometimes referred to as “living in the moment”.

From biography through fiction the hero’s journey captures our imagination and inspires us to dream. If someone were writing the story of your journey, where would you be? In the midst of adversity? Finding your mentor? Returning with the prize? Live a life worth reading about!

You have taken inventory of yourself and of your business. You have fearlessly examined the facts and know what you have to work with, what you need to eliminate and the tools you will need to truly move toward your goals and objectives. You know where you are and where you want to go. You are on the road to success…however this road is just that, simply a road and being on it guarantees nothing. Your goal still lies somewhere ahead and it is going to take something to get there. The next stetch of this journey requires discipline…Self-discipline!

Failing to plan is planning to fail.
There is a big difference between said and done.
Lots of people have great ideas in the shower.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions…You get my drift?

Failure is not just the result of failing to plan. Brilliant plans are useless if they are never implemented. Making it happen comes down to getting up day after day and following…putting action to the plan you have created. It means periodically reviewing that plan against current conditions and destination and making some adjustments if necessary.

If your plan includes others, this process of establishing order and moving with purpose always works better when you practice it first in your own life. Does you word mean something to you? Do you follow through on your commitments? Leading others comes first from leading yourself.

Leadership is not a job or a role that you play, but a lifestyle…an expression of who you are. When you plant words of life, you reap rapport and relationship. Rapport and relationship positions you for influence and influence can position you for almost anything.

However influence and leadership is not cheap. There is a price to pay. A price of accountability and of responsibility to those you lead, to those over whom you have influence. Good leadership doesn’t make decisions based on today or even just tomorrow.

Seeds of greatness lie within each individual. For many, those seeds will remain just that, seeds of unrealized potential and possibility. From others greatness will emerge. Lives will be changed and the world impacted as their choices ripple outward.

What makes the difference between those that become and those that don’t?

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  • They have a vision for something that is bigger than just them and extends beyond just today. It is a dream fueled by passion and connected to action.
  •  They deal with the uncomfortable, awkward and negative issues, situations and relationship challenges that arise. They know that simply waiting for it to go away could leave them waiting for the rest of their life and time is precious.
  • They understand the power of consequence and so not make decisions solely on the comfort and convenience of today.
  • They take action…EVERY DAY! They have accepted responsibility for the realization of their vision and move toward it step by step day by day. They don’t despise the small steps, but are thankful for even small increments of progress.
  • They have not only defined what they like, BUT ALSO what they don’t like. They don’t focus on the “NO’s”. However by clearly defining what “NO” looks like, they are able to recognize what carries negative influences much sooner.
  • They operate with grace. Because they choose to forgive, they are free to move forward and are not tied to the past.
  • They know what it is to be a part of a team. They know their own strengths and weaknesses and are not threatened by others whose strengths and weaknesses are different from their own. They are able to ask for help when they need it.
  • They are not afraid of change and they are not trying to make everyone happy. As they move forward there will be others who are not supportive and who do not agree with the choices and decisions that they make. They understand that old adage, “You can’t please everyone all the time.”

Being a leader and carrying influence is about being a steward over the potential of your team, of your organization…your company. It is about empowering them to step up and be leaders over their sphere of influence. It is about speaking to the possibilities that exist and moving towards that day by day. How will your organization move forward,  first as individuals and then as a team…TODAY?

I had this guy I worked for who would say, “Now we’ll know how good you really are.” You just wanted to smack him. However, there is some truth in that. It is one thing to perform well, when all the pieces are in place and life is “good”. It is another to rise to the occasion against all odds and perform well.

Everything has changed…pretty much…and it is not really comfortable. Ok, it’s worse than not comfortable, there are some days that when you get to the end you feel pulverized. Taken down to the most common element that is you…where it is your heart, your passion that sustains you and keeps you moving forward. It certainly isn’t because you feel like it.

So innumerable individuals are abandoning the sinking ship of what was and are attempting to reinvent who they are and what they do. Yet as painful as this might be there is something incredible that is emerging.

• It is a new shape of business.
• It is starting with individuals and moving through businesses and out into communities.
• It is about partnering, collaborating and about working together.

What did not happen by chance has happened by necessity. Being ground in preparation, we are being perfected through the fire and will emerge as steel stronger, more beautiful and more resilient than ever.

 Now we will see, as individuals, as communities, “How good are we really?”