You’ve now defined your goal. (If you missed my 6-part series on goals, click to view Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, & Part 6) and it’s specific and measurable. You went through the process of visualizing the positive emotions you’ll experience when you achieve it (positive outcomes) and you’ve also visualized your feelings should you not attain the goal (negative outcomes). You Understand Your Why. Now it’s time to get to work to achieve it , and that’s what this blog series is about – defining your team and getting your team to help you.
STEP 1: Realize that you will not achieve your goal alone – IT TAKES A TEAM.
Do you know who your team is? And do you know how to activate your team to help you achieve your goal? I don’t care if your goal is to lose 30 pounds, save 30 whales or make $30 million, you’re going to need a team! The sooner you acknowledge you can’t do it alone, the sooner you can start journeying toward achieving your goal.
I stress this point because it always surprises me how many times I work with people who say “I don’t need anyone’s help to achieve X, because I know what to do…blah, blah, blah.”
Many folks have a mental block that says teams are reserved for sports fields or battlefields, but not when it comes to earning money or non-profit missions to help others. Instead, they channel their inner Rambo-lone-soldier-turned-vigilante persona and go to work “doing it their way” all day, every day.
I’m being a little over-dramatic about the “damn the torpedoes – full speed ahead” attitude. However, if those folks would take a few minutes to understand who their teammates are and how those teammates can help them, their efforts will achieve a compounding effect – much like a super-charger boosts an engine’s horsepower.
The 4 Cs of Your Team
The teammates I’m referring to are not necessarily whom you might expect. Some are obvious and some aren’t, BUT ALL play a role in your ultimate success. I define these teammates as the 4 Cs of your team. Again, no matter what you’re doing or trying to do in life, these 4 Cs always exist in your life – and they will ALL help you achieve your goal.
STEP 2: Identify the 4 Cs of your Team
The four Cs are:
- Customers
- Co-workers
- Contributors
- Community
The principle is the same in quantum mechanics or in karma – whether it’s every action has an equal or opposite reaction or what goes around comes around.
Embrace the fact that you are part of an ecosystem that will help you succeed if you help it/them succeed! If you maintain a lone soldier mindset, you might find some short-term success, but the long-term journey will be riddled with “almost made it” achievements, which will wear you down over time. Then you’ll find the dreaded “woulda-coulda-shoulda” phrases sneaking into your vocabulary.
I want you to succeed, which means I want you to help others succeed too. Here’s a brief definition of each of the 4 Cs, with examples based on losing 30 pounds, saving 30 whales, or making $30 million:
Customers – these are the folks you provide value to.
1. Losing 30 lbs: Not an obvious customer here, but it’s more personal than you think. Your customer is your body, and helping your body will help you succeed.
2. Saving 30 whales: The obvious answer is the whales, but the not-so-obvious one is the “other customer” who wants to eat the whales . You’re going to need to help both of these customers if you want to achieve this goal.
3. Making $30 million: To make this sum of money you need to provide AT LEAST this much value to either one person or a much larger group of people. For example, at Perfect Fitness we provided over 2 million pairs of Perfect Pushups in one year to make this sum of money. You need to help others get AT LEAST this much value or more for you to earn it, AND you need to KNOW who these customers are.
Co-workers – they work directly with you
1. Losing 30 pounds: Don’t have someone trying to do the same goal? GO FIND THEM! It’s proven that people who work together to lose weight lose more. And don’t forget that trainer – virtual or real – is your teammate.
2. Saving 30 whales: The folks in the non-profit community trying to save these whales are your teammates. Sure, they may not get in the water or stay awake late at night to track these whales, but they are your teammates. Pick the ones who work directly with you or have a direct impact on your progress.
3. Making $30 million: From your assistant to your head of marketing to every direct report in your chain of command, they are your teammates. You might think they work FOR you but they really don’t. Think of them as volunteers. They work WITH you and they ARE your teammates.
Contributors – they are your personal and company value providers (e.g. friends, family, suppliers, etc)
1. Losing 30 pounds: Know the friends and family members who are helping you succeed (not all want you to succeed, pay attention to who’s helping you). What about that nurse or doctor who’s checking in on you? They are another teammate.
2. Saving 30 whales: The marketing company donating their time; the lawyer who is giving up one night of her week to review legal cases; the friends who hold meetings in their homes to raise awareness; etc. these are teammates, not just charity cases.
3. Making $30 million: You may not think of your suppliers as teammates. Perhaps they are overseas manufacturers, or the truck drivers or customs agents who make sure your products get to their destination. They ARE your teammates, and they are trying to help you. They need to make money also, but you need to help them just like they are helping you.
Community – the ecosystem that supports you and whose members are trying to succeed like you
1. Losing 30 pounds: At your gym, or online, try to help folks who can’t get to a gym to lose the weight. Find a person or a group of people trying to do what you’re doing. Extend your team’s reach!
2. Saving 30 whales: You’re not the only one trying to save a species. Even though you may not think of it in those terms, that church you go to every Sunday is trying to save a species too! Give back, not just with money but with your time. If you don’t go to church, find an organization trying to save another species and help them. What you’ve learned saving 30 whales can help another team save 30 rhinos!
3. Making 30 million: You know that local school your kids attend? They need help raising money to build bigger buildings. They could use $30 million – help them. You say your school doesn’t need it? Then find another group who needs help making money. It doesn’t have to be an exact one-for-one dollar amount. Just find a group and give it your all.
I’ve thrown a lot at you. Your head may be spinning because I haven’t yet talked about YOUR actions to achieve YOUR goal, nor have I spoken about team-building and how you’re going to create High Performance UNSTOPPABLE TEAMS. That is coming, along with how you’ll learn to be an UNSTOPPABLE LEADER. I promise it will all be revealed! It’s all tied together and it starts with understanding your Why. Once you know your why you’re going to figure out your way – and you’re going to get others to help you.
Did I mention that 2017 is going to be our best year yet?!
Onward and upward!
Alden
