Building an Elite Team

I think most people want to be a part of an amazing team. I think we can at least agree that no one wants to be a part of a “losing” team. I don’t even like the thought of being a part of a rebuilding team. When I hear the word “rebuilding” I think of it like a sports team reference. When I hear rebuilding in sports, I think it’s just an excuse to either not spend money or a way to justify a losing season. So, what happens when you find yourself on a team that feels like you have a chance to do something special? When you have a team that has a chance to be very successful you must figure out what you want to accomplish and acknowledge what things can come up that would prevent you from being able to achieve those goals.

         The first thing to figure out is what do we want to accomplish. We also have to figure out the difference between a goal and a standard. To me, a goal is a one-time accomplishment. A standard is something that I want to be a normal everyday expectation. I can set a goal to achieve one million dollars in earnings for a specific year. When the next year comes around, I would hope that one million dollars in earnings is now the standard and then I set a new goal for earnings. So, what is my everyday standard and then what is the goal I want on top of that. Then I need to figure out what things might come up that can prevent me from hitting those targets.

         After we know that information, everyone must know the role that they play on the team. If I am a part of a team, I need to know what my personal expectations are. I read again recently a famous quote that said something about nothing is worse than doing something efficiently, that shouldn’t have been done at all. Too often we have someone taking pride in doing something and the task they accomplished had nothing to do with what the team was trying to accomplish.

         So, if I have all the things in place that I need, what’s next? I’m not sure where in order this should go, but do I have the right people? Do I need to know what I want to accomplish before I choose my team? For now, I am going to assume that the team I have is the team I always have. So even if the goals change every year, I still have the same people working on the goals.

         Usually what happens now is the normal basic workday. What we did yesterday, we will do today. What we did this month is what we will do next month. Then one day we wake up and it’s been five years. But what happens if one day you notice you have a chance to do something special? What happens when you look around and you love the team you are on. You see that someone who can fill the role in an area that in the past has been a weak spot. What do you do differently? Do you raise the goals or the standards? I have one very basic, but quick answer, SLAM ON THE GAS! I want it to be exactly like the coach of my favorite NFL team said, “All gas, no brakes”! When you are young you don’t notice it, but if you have a great team around you, take advantage of it. It seems like that team will be around forever, but I assure you it won’t be. You might think that now is the time to go slow and develop everyone, it’s not. Now is the time to make sure that you have a game plan every single day. Now is the time to trust the people you have in place. Now is the time to take risks. Now is the time to show your personality. Now is the time to prove the doubters wrong. Right now, most people don’t see what you see. They think this is the same regular team that has been showing up every week for years, It’s not! We are an elite team. We make the rules, we set the standards. They won’t admit it, but yes, they are jealous of what we have!!