Teamwork STILL Makes The Dream Work!

In December of 2015, I wrote a blog entitled, “Are You Sharing or Showing Off?” and it was somewhat of a rant. I was working on a project where I had invited what I considered to be a team of greatness to yield a specific result. I had taken the time to be prayerful about my speakers. I had strategically made calls and extended personal invites to people who I thought would “make this event great!” These people believed in me, my event and the success of the event so they signed on to participate. Some even paid their own way to get to California as a way of saying, “this is how I can support”.

Over the next few months, I watched as my “team of greatness” went on about their “branding business”, but I never saw them share that they were going to be speakers for my event. As the sales for my event seemed to be slow, I became frustrated. I became discouraged. No, I became downright disappointed. I was disappointed because I felt that no one was helping me to get the word out about something they claimed to support. I repeatedly inboxed those invited speakers practically begging them to “share the event on their pages” and it seemed like that was THE HARDEST thing for them to do. I could not understand.

As time went on and we inched closer to the event, I saw sprinkles of “I’m heading to California”, “come see me at”, “meet me at”. Then I downright pissed. To me, it looked/felt like the only reason they were sharing at this point was to say, “hey look what Im doing”, when they could have (and should have in my opinion), given people more advance notice so that they could attend the event too. Turns out, the event was super successful. Turns out, “my tribe” showed up for me. Turns out, that I did not actually need them to share to fill the room (even though I will never understand why people agree to be a part of something that they wont promote, but I digress). In the aforementioned blog, I brought up the following points of credibility, exposure, brand awareness, discussion and collaboration as critical areas that we can all work on to improve our brands and our bottomline. I still hold on these points, but I would like to just share their importance – once again!

Sharing has huge potential for those on the roster, some include:
1.  CREDIBILITY – Having credibility means that you have shown that your character and integrity can be trusted. We all know the old adage that people do business with those whom they “know, like and trust”, but I would like to go a step further and say, what I know about you (or have experienced) will greatly determine if I like you or if I can trust you.

2.  EXPOSURE-   When most people use the word exposure in business, I would venture to say, they mean “telling others you exist”. I’m sure we’ve all been asked to pay for promotion with the promise of exposure. But I would like to share another definition which is “the revelation of an identity or a fact”. Sometimes our actions can also adversely reveal our motives. It’s always a plus when this is met with an approval.

3. BRAND AWARENESS  – Here is the bottomline. Having a bankable brand is what everyone should want, need or desire to be successful. If you are the only one talking, sharing, or promoting your brand. You may need to re-group and re-access how your branding message lands with others who need your service offerings. We have to do more than “make money”, it’s also important to make an impact!

4. START A DISCUSSION – This isn’t always the easy part. But it is a necessity. Everyone needs a team of trusted advisors (which are not always your friends), who can speak truth to you. Sometimes, we need an objective person on the team who challenges us to see the bigger picture. Having people in your circle that will tell you, “no, that’s not it”, is a strategically successful power move all in itself! It will benefit us all if we adhere to wise counsel.

5.  COLLABORATION – Knowing the space that people serve best in your network is essential to your success. Some collaborations are limited and some are for a lifetime. It’s up to you to cultivate those relationships to make sure they work for not only your short term goals, but also your long term dreams!

The moral of the story is no one is an island on their own. People make the world go around. If you are going to do anything, always remember that “Teamwork, STILL, makes the dream work!”

If you interested in reading the “original rant”, you can do so by clicking here! Enjoy….