Teamwork and Leadership

Being part of a team is the highest calling of leadership. Any leader within a team has the obligation to model mental maturity to his or her teammates. In order for the organization’s dream to be realized, there must be great teamwork amongst the members. Here are three thoughts to enhance your role within the team:

Think at a higher level - Your quality of thinking sets the tone for the rest of the team. In team meetings, it is important to think at a higher level by bringing something to the table. Be resourceful. Team dynamics improve when you contribute effectively. Share insights and ideas that will better the team. Be a team player and demonstrate mental maturity.

Admit it when you are wrong - Everyone falters every once in a while. It is a sign of great maturity when you can admit that you were wrong. Such an admission sends a great message to the team and enhances cohesiveness. This goes hand-in-hand with taking responsibility for your failures. Be a team player and demonstrate mental maturity.

Put others before your ’self’ - Teamwork is about togetherness - Together Everyone Accomplishes More. This calls upon every member to lay aside their personal desires and root for the team. Every single effort must be targeted towards making the team look great. Egos must be put aside. Being part of a team means being an uplifter. Be a team player and demonstrate mental maturity.

The LEARN strategy

There are moments when we are fully aware of our deficiencies or lack of training in certain skill areas. Our awareness of such incompetence should never freeze us from action, it should instead motivate us to acquire the training that we need. In order to motivate us towards this, I have developed a five-step strategy that can deliver results in such situations. Here is my LEARN strategy for conscious incompetence:

Let your incompetence motivate you towards learning

Empower yourself by reading about the skill area

Associate with people who have competence in that skill area

Redefine your understanding of your capacity in that skill

Nurture a passion for teaching others that particular skill

Be a peak performer. Never allow incompetence to stop you from accomplishing your objectives. Lack of training should not necessarily equate to lack of ability. You can learn what you need to in order to move ahead into action.

Staying Focused on Goals

Every day offers us the opportunity to either quit on our goals or continue working on them. Nothing comes easy in life. A mentor once told me that if I am tough on myself then life would be infinitely easier for me. What can we do to stay focused on our goals? Here's an acrostic that can help:

Pre-determine a course of action

This essentially means having a vision for your life. Visualizing that which you intend to attain is the first step towards being successful in pursuing it. You need to have a concise end for which you can measure your progress against. Develop a vision which will be your pre-determined course of action.

Layout your goals

Once you have pre-determined a course of action, the next step is to break it down into specific goals that can be realized. To empower your vision you need to write it down and define it clearly. Laying out your goals enables you to harness the power of visualization.

Adjust your priorities

You will need to make some changes in the new year if you hope to make it a different year from the past. This will mean being open to adjusting your priorities. Priorities are the pathway to success. Making adjustments is the key to reaching your goals.

Notify key people

We all have circles of support around us. In order to accomplish your goals you need to find those people who affirm your positive goals and share your goals with them. These people will encourage you, motivate you and keep you on the path towards success.

Allow time for your plans

Many times when we set goals we expect them to be realized within a certain time frame. While it is essential to set deadlines, we should never get married to the deadlines. Timelines should motivate us to work smartly towards our goals. If your goals are not attained within the timelines you set, don’t quit. Set new timelines and stay motivated.

Head into action

Action is the first step towards achievement. A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. Head into action. Inch by inch it’s a cinch. Action must start now! The greatest enemy of success is procrastination. In order to achieve your dreams you must be action-oriented.

Expect problems

Every endeavor that has ever been worth pursuing has always had it’s problems and challenges. Problems are a sign that you are on the right track. The absence of problems is very likely a sign that something is wrong. Problems should never cause you to lose sight of your ultimate goals. They should be a call towards being more creative.

Always point to your successes

It is easy to lose motivation when failure sets in. The key to staying focused is in pointing to your already realized successes. Your track record of past successes is the springboard for your future achievements. When failure threatens your progress, embrace the confidence that comes from your record of past achievements.

Daily review your planning

Planning is a dynamic process. Plans should be reviewed on a daily basis to ensure that you are on the right track. Change happens. You must be open to changing your plans daily. Flexibility is the key to success. You must be able to revisit your plans every day. Nothing ever dominates life unless it happens daily. It is the daily habit of reviewing your plans that will determine whether you realize them or not.