We Can't Reach Our Goals As Lone Wolves. We Need Support.
Humans are not meant to go it alone or fly solo. We need community and connection. Not even if you consider yourself a deep thinker, philosopher, creator or some other being that’s stereotyped as the lone wolf — you are not meant for isolation. Besides, someone has to admire that work of art you just produced.
Truth: If you want to blaze an authentic path and make your dreams come true, you’ll need a support network or a team. This network consists of people who make you laugh, make you think, challenge you and inspire you, all of which contributes to your success. The vision you have for the life you want to lead, the career you want to hold, the dreams you want to actualize, require other people. You can’t do any of it alone. You need people. We all do.
The good news is we have far more team members at our fingertips than we realize. Too often the people I coach draw a blank when I ask the question: “Who is going to help you get across the finish line?” Suddenly, it’s like they don’t know people and they’ve been living on a deserted island with only a volleyball named Wilson as their one and only true friend.
What’s happening is they hear the word ‘team’ and they think it means the people they have to hire or is limited to those they work with in the office. And for some, thinking about hiring or their colleagues, triggers their gag reflex. Your team doesn't have to be all formal like that.
A member of your team might be your mentor or the unpaid advisor on the board of directors that you know, like, and trust. You might consider your financial advisor or accountant a part of your team even if you only use them once or twice a year. Your best friend or power partner can be a part of your team.
In my book, if you trust them, they align with your values, and they help you advance your big hairy audacious goals then they are a part of your team. Plus, let’s not forget that you may have multiple teams. You may have one that is for business, one for leisure, one for personal care, etc. But no matter which team you have or what they are for, there are at least three types of team members you’re going to need to get where you want to go.
#1: MISSING PIECES
These are the folks that fill the gaps you need filled in order to reach your goals. They are the people who have the strength in something that you don’t. Or the person who loves to do that thing you can’t stand to do (or rather not do) which saves you the time and energy to focus on where your own strength lies. Let’s face it, you’ve got all kinds of mad skills, but are you the one who should be doing all the things or staying focused on just one or two?
The Missing Piece team member helps you stay in your zone of genius while they play in theirs. Together, you’re a finely oiled machine systemically working to make your dreams come true. You can't be in the flow when you take on everything and don't delegate or ask for support. So if you want to awaken your greatness and lead the life you dream of, you need people on your team you can rely on to do the things you’re better off NOT doing.
#2: ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNERS
These are the people you let kick your ass, in the nicest (or not so nicest) way possible. You’ve shared your goals and intentions with them and they help you keep your word and pursue your plans. This inevitably keeps you moving and motivated because now you’ve got someone checking up on you and asking you “Where are you at with this?”
They may be the colleagues who turn down that lunch date or extra connection call knowing that time's supposed to be blocked off on your calendar for self-care or writing that book or holding a planning session. Or they may be the coach you’ve hired for the specific role of holding your feet to the fire and ensuring you take the necessary steps. Hell, they may even be your best friend who will call your bluff and your b.s. and repeat back to you the very thing that you said to them not that long ago. You need people to hold you to your word and hold you up when you feel like giving up.
#3: COLLABORATORS AND CHAMPIONS
These are your power (or referral) partners and/or the members of your mastermind or networking groups you belong to. They are the people that genuinely want to lift you up and help you rise. They may collaborate with you simply for a 30-minute conversation where you troubleshoot barriers you’re having. Or maybe they go a step further and actually partner with you on some project or initiative and share the workload and output.
These team members are people that are focused more on your success than what they gain. They are people who are in service to you, not in a servitude kind of way, but in a “I love you and this dream you have and want to help” kind of way. This is where all magic lies. The power of people who truly connect and lift each other as they rise because they believe there is enough space and room for all of us. When that belief is held, there’s no need for nasty competition.
I encourage you to look at the teams you do have and ask yourself who is on them and who is missing. Do you have Missing Pieces? Accountability Partners? Collaborators and Champions?
Because here’s one last parting truth that is really important: it is easy to become derailed from your goals and aspirations if you are not surrounding yourself with the right support network.
We only have a limited amount of precious time each day so we should only invest our time in people who help us to grow and get us closer to our dreams. Quite often this is not the case. We often put others’ needs before our own and end up spending our time doing things that hold little value to us. The good news is that you are totally in charge of who you spend your time with, if you’re up to the challenge of figuring that out and making some changes.
I’ve got the perfect way to explore your goals and to identify the team you need to help you conquer them. To discover your authentic self and turn your big dreams into incredible realities, join my Unleash Your Legacy cohort and work alongside a community of some of the most powerful women leaders today. Each with a crystal-clear six-month game plan and coaching that's as relentless as you are, we're all on a mission together to not just bring about our individual dreams but to leave a legacy that'll have the world talking for generations.
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