Building healthy, functional teams and communities is crucial to your success as a leader, personal development, and ability to reach any goal you set for yourself.
A team—some may call it a tribe—is a unique group of people with whom you connect on your journey. We need each other to become all that we can be.
These unique groups of people with whom you connect may even become a community that you can share your life with within specific areas, like health, business, working moms, or authors.
The list is endless.
If you are going to build a business, you will need a team. And your team can be global! Social media has made it easy to connect with like-minded people across the world.
There are benefits to building a strong, fully-functional team—a group of people who want to learn from you. This pushes you to become a better leader, helping you to expand and grow in your expertise. You will also learn from their input and knowledge.
I have built many teams over the years, and the one I have now is in the beginning stages of development. We are testing different formats to connect with people who are interested in discovering their purpose in life.
My team, or tribe, are those who want to be the best they can be in their personal development, have healthy relationships, and are in careers where they can thrive. I love the interaction and hearing about their journeys.
I also belong to several tribes as well. Donald Miller’s Storybrand has taught me to keep my message clear. Jeff Goins provides me with great tools for wisdom and encouragement as an author. Michael Hyatt is the king of productivity and platform building.
Each have an expertise that I need, and my engagement with them is through their weekly podcasts on iTunes.
As you build your community, there are six team building basics to keep in mind in order to keep everyone on a path of growth:
1. Clarify Your Message
Identifying and clarifying your core message is an important part of your journey.
When I first started out in business, my message was too broad. I was trying to reach everybody with my range of experience. I had to narrow my focus in order to give consistency to the type of team I wanted to attract and build.
2. Select Your Avenue(s) of Connection
Facebook; Instagram; Twitter; Linkedin; Snapchat; YouTube; Podcasts; Blogs.
Each platforms offers a unique avenue for connection.
Currently, I host a weekly podcast on iTunes as well as a weekly blog. I also post daily to Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
I chose these specific channels as a means to share my experience and expertise because that is where my audience is.
Knowing which platform to choose is one reason why you need to know your audience. This is a learning process that we will look into in the future.
What area do you already have a presence in? Start there and then add others. You want to have consistent visibility in one market—and do it well—before adding another.
3. Add Value
Your team, tribe, or community is following you for direction, encouragement and expertise. Be generous with them in sharing your expertise, such as offering a free eBook or workshops to help them on their journeys.
Share honestly and openly about your successes and missteps. As with any relationship, people are looking for someone who is authentic.
4. Mentor and Be Mentored
Mentoring has found a new platform.
Instead of one-on-one mentoring, much of today’s interaction is coming through your team. Communities are mentoring each other by generously sharing their experiences and expertise.
5. Be Gracious Yet Set Healthy Boundaries
People will critique you. Listen carefully. You will learn to pick out the meat and throw away the bones.
While constructive criticism is important to your and your team’s development, do not allow negativity, foul language, or inappropriate discussions in your community.
Your team needs to feel that they have a safe place to learn and grow.
6. Set Expectations and Keep Your Commitments
Setting expectations with your team is key to staying connected. If you say that you will blog every week, then do it!
One of the things I learned is to start slow, then grow.
Decide how available you will be and communicate this to your team. For example, if I am traveling, I may not be as available to answer questions. So, I let my team know when I am on the road.
Building a team offers a place where you can build community and trust while moving forward on this journey of life together. When you focus on your team, it can provide growth and long-term relationships.
How are you building a team?
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I love expanding my tribe. If you resonated with our mission to discover our purpose, live every day with passion, and develop into all we can be, then fill out the Connection Form to get the conversation started.
Remember, you are the best investment you can make.
If you want to invest in your future, find your passion AND the why behind it, sign up for my 6-week online course, Compelled to Change.
In this class, you will learn practical and repeatable strategies to accomplish your dreams and be unstoppable!
Abundant Blessings, Cindy
Cindy Stewart has a passion for people and helping them connect to their life purpose, discover their passions, and live their dreams. Cindy’s latest book, God’s Dream for Your Life, brings clarity to your purpose while unlocking vision of what is possible in the natural and the supernatural. She is an itinerant speaker, an executive coach, and hosts a weekly podcast on Charisma Podcast Network. Along with her husband, Chuck, they lead The Gathering Apostolic Center in Tarpon Springs, FL.
Please email Cindy with any questions or comments to cindystewartauthor@gmail.com. She’d love to hear from you.
Remember, you are the best investment you can make.