Mark S. Brown

If you want your team to be successful then make them successful. John Maxwell refers to what he calls “others first thinking”. Do you really think of your team first? If you think of their success becoming more important than your success, then you will see a new perspective on your role on the team.

Here are three ways to focus on your team.

1. Listen to them. This seems like the obvious first step, but you must take the time to put them first. You also must take the time to hear their ideas above your own.

2. Meet their needs. This is a tougher step. To meet their needs, you must understand what will help them be successful. Use your knowledge and skill to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the team. Evaluate the critical skills they need. If you cannot fill the void, then connect up with others that can. Provide the support they need, when it is needed.

3. Provide motivation. Teams that are struggling cannot always see the goal they strive to achieve. Maybe a connection to the mission is lacking, or it does not connect on a personal level with some of the team members. You can provide both. Express why the mission is important. Individually recognize people and why they are important to the team. People want to be successful, sometimes you need to help them connect themselves to the success.

 

Many people make internal commitments with themselves on tasks they need to complete. Often it is as simple as a repair needed on your house, running an errand, or changing the oil in your car. When we make a plan that we don’t follow through with we can cause ourselves unnecessary stress.

I have a long list of things that I need to do in my spare time. However, there is no spare time, just time.

After working all day, I find myself wanting to relax and recover for the next day, but there is still that list in front of me. We can be fatigued by all the things we want to accomplish, and no time to do. We create this situation for ourselves.

Here is a simple plan that I have implemented that helps.

1. Keep a list of all the things you want or need to accomplish. Write them down, keep it up to date. It is less stressful to manage a list than to manage all the items in your head.

2. Define due dates. If anything on the list has to be done before a specific date, make sure you write the date next to the item. If it does not have a specific date, don’t make one up. Don’t give yourself a target. Just keep it on the list as something that needs done.

3. Commit to completing at least one thing from your list every single day. Many days you can and will do more. But get in the habit of never skipping a day. Make every day valuable in your own progress. If you have the time to do more, knock them out. Complete what makes sense. But make a commitment to complete the most important item for you every day.

Following this simple plan, you will find yourself with less stress. You will find that the list is not a roadblock, but an great tool. Relax, and go do your most important thing today.

 

Freedom. Liberty. Independence.

On this day in the United States we celebrate our independence from Great Britain. We think of the forefathers of this country in reverence. In many respects they were just ordinary people living in extraordinary times, and made significant contributions in shaping the freedoms we enjoy.

The founding of our country created a government that protected individual freedom. It was not just independence from Great Britain, but true independence. For me, I admire the individuals that had the initiative to capture the spirit of liberty in the words and documents that created the United States.

Freedom is not only how we live, but how we treat others. As Nelson Mandela said, “To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”

Abraham Lincoln said, “The world has never had a good definition of the word liberty, and the American people, just now, are much in want of one. We all declare for liberty; but in using the same word we do not all mean the same thing. With some the word liberty may mean for each man to do as he pleases with himself, and the product of his labor; while with others the same word may mean for some men to do as they please with other men, and the product of other mens labor. Here are two, not only different, but incompatable things, called by the same name liberty. And it follows that each of the things is, by the respective parties, called by two different and incompatable names liberty and tyranny.”

On this Independence Day, I think it is important to think about how you respect the rights and freedoms of all people. You would want them to respect yours.

 

A great team works together to achieve their mission. They place the team goal above their own goal. This week, take a look at your team. Is everyone fully committed to achieve the mission? Strengthen your role as a team player and strengthen your team’s ability to be successful with these challenges.

1. Make the mission everyone’s goal. Sometimes the mission is not clear. It must be repeated constantly. Every team action needs to be linked to achieving the goal. Make sure every member contributes, and find supporting tasks that keep people from standing on the sidelines.

2. Eliminate distractions that get in the way of the objective. Distractions can be caused by gossip, conflicting messages, negative attitudes, and competing goals. You can help a team by eliminating distractions as soon as they appear. Squash gossip by calling all affected people to openly discuss issues. Eliminate negative attitudes by bringing your positive attitude to the forefront, and by providing recognition and praise to team members when earned. Any conflicting messages or conflicting goals should be addressed immediately. Align the team actions and the mission.

3. Make the team goal the main goal. Don’t let the team get sidetracked by obstacles. Some obstacles can get in the way and create an opportunity for people to forget about the big picture, the main mission. Don’t let an individual’s objective outweigh the team objectives. Reward and recognize team accomplishments above individual accomplishments until the mission is achieved.

4. Contribute your best. You can set the example for those around you. Give 100% and never less. Stay focused on the objective. Help your team members be successful. Help everyone achieve together. Assist those that are falling behind. The team is only as strong as its weakest player. Use your energy to make the team stronger.

 

“All winning teams are goal-oriented. Teams like these win consistently because everyone connected with them concentrates on specific objectives. They go about their business with blinders on; nothing will distract them from achieving their aims. “ – Lou Holtz