Who's On Your Success Team?

When I take on a new coaching client, one of the first questions I ask them is "Who is on your success team?".

In response to that question, normally I get:

• 7 out of every 10 clients don't have a response
• 2 out of 10 give me the name of their spouse, children, sister, best friend, etc.
• 1 out of 10 give me 1-2 names of people from years ago who aren't currently apart of their life now

This is not good...

Why?

If you want to achieve a life of your dreams that you feel empowered and inspired to lead, you have to have a success team built around you to help you make that happen.  And your spouse, BFF's, children, neighbors or anyone else that offers you emotional support is not what I am referring to.

What is a Success Team?
A Success Team is a group of people that you have purposefully surrounded yourself with who are normally paid for their expertise and who are apart of your accountability group whose focus is on getting you to your expected results.

Your Success Team can include coaches, therapists, etc.  The key is that you are purposeful in seeking them out to add value in those areas in which you are either not as strong or an area(s) where you need to see growth in order to get to your next level.


When I am asked who should be on your Success Team, I always tell people the following:

• Physical Trainer/Nutritionist:  no matter your chosen profession or area in which you want to see results, if you are physically lagging, it will impact your ability to focus, go the long haul and show up with energy and tenacity.  
• Life Coach:  As Harper's Magazine quoted, "Coaching is the new form of therapy and is necessary for any endeavor.".  I can't agree more.  In our world of information overload, limited time and resources and lack of focus, a life coach can invariably help you create a plan to successfully realize your big goals.  And unlike a best friend or spouse, coaching is directed towards where you are and where you are trying to go...it is not directed towards your past.
• Spiritual Connection:  Having a firm root in your spiritual life has a way of keeping you grounded and thankful...key ingredients to a purposeful life.  In order to get and maintain this spiritual connection, it will help to be clear on what person or group will hold you accountable for living out your spiritual principles and then putting "skin in the game", i.e., spending your time and resources towards maintaining your spiritual life.  
• Career Coach/Recruiter:  It doesn't matter if you are in a period in your life where you are content, un-happy, transitioning or an entrepreneur...everyone needs to have a member of their Success Team be someone who they periodically check-in (quarterly, semi-annually) with to stay fresh on their career development and evolution, especially if they are in leadership.  Keep in mind, this member of your Success Team is not your mentor.  This person is independent of your company or industry but does have wisdom and can offer that to you.
• Branding Expert: Depending on what you do, this person can have different titles and different areas of focus.  I always highly recommend a branding expert to people because if you are not unique and standout, then you are almost non-existent in our world of group-think.  There needs to be something authentic about you that you project to the world and become known for in order to be remembered and successful.

• Another way to think of a Branding Expert is for those who are business owners, corporate executives or a public figure. Your branding expert maybe a stylist or image consultant.  I can't tell you how many times I have seen a technically proficient public figure get judged due to a lack of manners, ill-fitting clothes, lack of grooming, etc.  This sucks but it is true!  Make the investment in a branding expert!

The members I suggest for a Success Team are ones that I really believe can help you have an overall sense of mission, purpose and focus towards maximizing your life.  And keep in mind, your Success Team members all need to be people who can add value to your life in areas that you are not the strongest or that can help you evolve to your next level.  And they don't all have to be serious!  Select one or two of the ones I suggest based on your current priorities and go for it!

For example, if you know you want to have more FUN in your life and you miss the days from your college years where you used to earn money telling jokes at a comedy club to pay your rent, then go back to that!  Hire a comedian that can help you explore that as an adult and make that comedian apart of your Success Team!

Other Success Team examples: I had a friend who had a speech impediment but he knew that speaking (his strength) would help him be successful at driving clients to financial services practice so he hired a Voice Coach to lessen the sound of his speech impediment; I had a friend who had issues with giving up control in her leadership and she knew it was keeping her back in her career to the VP level so she hired a Leadership Coach to teach her principles of proper delegation, empowering her team, etc.

For me, I realized a few months ago that I missed the times of dancing in my youth but the only place I knew where you can dance is at a bar/club.  I do not want to go to a club!  So I found a hip-hop line dancing group taught by an expert dancer (he's in his early 50's but moves like he's in his 20's).  I get to move, frolick and dance in an environment that is the "grown woman" version...and the instructor has no idea he's apart of my Success Team!  And yes, he is paid!

So get out there and reach out to build, enhance or reconfigure your Success Team...your results will be seen and your overall life happiness will increase!

Que
@QSwerve
Curva-Lish