Your Team’s Elixir of Life
“No one is born a great cook. One learns by doing.”
-Julia Child, My Life in France
History is packed with inspiring teamwork stories; both fictional and historical. From family teams like The Marx Brothers, the courageous crew of the North Pole-bound ship The Endeavor, large-scale movements like aid abroad, revolutionary women’s Olympic teams, or fantastical groups like Bilbo’s entourage in The Hobbit.
These teams come in all shapes and sizes, have varying methods and goals, and their members are gloriously diverse.
And – though it may seem unbelievable – these teams have one powerful thing in common: they have a visionary person behind them; often times, someone we don’t even know exists – cheering them on, supporting them through tough times, and maintaining a dynamic, forward-thinking perspective at every corner.
Each of the aforementioned teams had an incredible leader at their helm. Minnie Marx was the Marx Brothers’ mother, first manager, and lasting inspiration: it was Minnie who got the brother’s into show business, and who encouraged them through rocky times on the vaudeville circuit. Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton led the crew of The Endeavor against impossible odds; helping the 28 man-crew survive the arctic and return home alive.
Eight-time Olympic-medalist and four-time Olympic gold-medalist, Dawn Fraser changed the face of women’s swimming; inspiring generations of female athletes around the globe. Eye specialist, Fred Hollows treated Aborigines throughout the Outback; between 1974 and 1976 his teams screened 100,000 people, and he is said to be among the first to inspire the growing “aid abroad” movement. And of course, Gandalf led Bilbo and the dwarves on their famed voyage; a wizard filled with not only magic, but age-old wisdom.
For your team, you aren’t Minnie Marx, Dawn Fraser, Fred Hollows, Shackleton, or Gandalf. You are you. The person who adds the magic ingredient to motivate and inspire your team. You are the team leader that brings out the best in your group of individuals.
“Great leaders move us”, says Daniel Goleman. And he’s right. Great leaders – in whatever field, industry, or situation, make us get up out of our seats and put our full worth behind a task.
https://www.danielgoleman.info/
Whether you’re staging a vaudeville act, planning and arctic voyage, practicing for the Olympics, or adventuring through Middle Earth, you’ll want to follow these tried and true steps:
· Establish a performance plan
· Encourage your team to communicate
· Reward contribution to the team
· Develop processes to deal with conflict
· Be a role model and lead by example
· Manage ideas, develop action plans, and build trust within your team
Remember, no one is born a flawless leader; not Gandalf or Dawn Fraser or Shackleton. Each of these individuals learned by doing. And so will you.
Discover your leadership potential, and you’ll learn the magic ingredients to creating a dynamite team.
Let’s connect soon…