In this post, I share my heard learned lessons learned about how to use teamwork to accomplish more in your business.
I was listening to Darren Hardy’s daily video about success the other day, he was kicking off a series on team building and he mentioned that teams should emulate ducks…
He threw out a statistic that ducks have 71% more range when they fly in formation.
Okay, so you’re probably wondering what does this has to do with this post on how to use teamwork to accomplish more…right?
Stay with me and I’ll explain why and how when built right, teams can accomplish more.
Trust me, I’ve got a lot of experience around this.
I’ve been managing teams virtually for close to 10 years now and I’ve managed and been part of many in the corporate world for over 15 years. So you could say I’ve seen the good and the bad.
Let’s get back to the ducks…
When they fly together, they take turns leading and their formation creates an updraft which gives them an increase of 71% more flying range (they can fly 71% further) than if they flew solo.
Are you flying solo and wouldn’t you like to be able to accomplish 71% more?
Yes, it’s the same in your business…
You can accomplish so much more when working as a team than flying solo.
And if you allow your team to take turns leading you really begin to tap into their strength.
Smart leaders allow their team members to lead in their areas of expertise.
I know I can design a website, but my lead tech/designer Valerie does it so much faster and more efficiently than I can. So I hand over the lead to her when we build websites for our clients.
I tell her where we want to go and she gets us there.
A smart leader knows when to ask questions and hand off tasks to those who are the experts and let go of control.
I’m working with a client right now who has a great team but won’t let go of control and allow them to work independently…
Every person that they work with has to see her at least 1-2 times before being handed off.
So when she is away from her business, the rest of her team isn’t as productive as they could be and no new clients can work with them unless they have seen the client first.
A bottleneck has been created, the client is frustrated and overworked.
Her brilliant team is also frustrated and worst of all the client experience isn’t what it could be.
Worst of all…they’re losing money as a result of the bottleneck.
The solution is simple…
The client needs to let go and allow the team to lead in their respective areas of expertise.
And understand that there is more than one way to serve their clients well.
When you build systems, tasks, and operating procedures you create a way to guide your team to accomplish projects for you.
Trust me I know first hand about this.
I’ve worked with teams and with many other clients who won’t let go.
And frankly, it was exhausting.
I’ve had big teams that weighed me down because they did not have the right procedures and guidance.
I’ve been able to find a better balance with a smaller team.
We’ve got clear operating procedures, timelines, and a kick-ass project management system that gives me the desired results without micromanaging them.
And as a result, my team knows what to do and when…and they are happy about having that freedom.
Gone are the days of doing it all myself.
No more burnout and frustration from trying to be and do all things I’m not loving or suited to do.
I’m in my zone of genius working on testing new strategies to create better results. I’m better off measuring performance, tweaking systems, and developing new strategies.
My team is happier behind the scenes handling the implementation.
Lesson learned…
Using teamwork to accomplish more has allowed me to be happier and have the freedom to do what I love.
My business is flourishing.
So let me ask you…
Are you a lone ranger…trying to do it all by yourself?
Are you tired, frustrated and burned out?
Are you the control freak, the person causing a bottleneck and afraid to let go?
Or are you just drifting along, never really doing anything to accomplish your goals?
Take a hard look at yourself and your management style…you might need to let go and use teamwork to accomplish more in your business.
Let me know what you see in yourself!
