TEAMWORK - BUILDING TEAMS THAT WORK: Why Can't We?

Teamwork - Building Teams That Work with Douglas Castle

Dear Readers:

WHY CAN'T WE ?

Admittedly, the title of this article sounds a bit like a hybrid cooked up among Dr. Robert Schuller, Dr. Wayne Dyer, an out-of-work Obama campaign manager and the executive director of some charity. "WHY CAN'T WE?" does not sound like a title appropriately fitting a practical post geared toward a growing community of serious networkers (for example, the growing subscriber group of TNNW). Rest assured that this article is practical, inciteful and, if taken seriously by a bunch of aggressive, hungry and ofttimes frustrated entrepreneurs trying to "go it alone," it will be life-changing. In fact, after you have seen the video (which you must), you'll realize that the title of this article should have been "WHY DON'T WE?"

Here's a brief video, courtesy of Yahoo! Videos, accompanied by my letter of transmittal:

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Douglas Castle has sent you a video.

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Personal message: This is a video which would normally have had me walking away -- it seems like a typical public relations ploy by the "haves" to show something about how they are being "socially responsible" and "giving back." We've heard it before. But what captured my interest is how they chose to do it: as a TEAM. If we put aside our jealous resentment and envy of the rich and famous, these people are, perhaps by design -- or perhaps by accident, making a subtle but powerful point about partnership and essence of Teamwork. Click on the video and watch the whole thing:

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?cl=13584224

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In the words of a profoundly beautiful sermon by Jon Donne, "No man is an island, standing alone...". The fact of the matter is that none of us can get great things accomplished in business, politics or sociologically without enlisting the cooperation and assistance of others. This is common knowledge.

Despite this, we insist on networking as soloists, hawking our wares, promoting and selling to any increasingly financially challenged, skeptical and informationally overloaded audience. And that audience is either trying to run from us or to sell us something of their own. When we do not cooperate, when we get "too busy" to join forces in order to promote and help each other, and to accomplish great things as a cohesive, unified group, we work many times harder, and we play right into the now infamous (I invented this while shaving!) "One-sided Marketplace -- where everyone is selling, and no one is buying."

Combining and bundling our services together gives us a more competitive, more comprehensive package to bring to market. It appeals to a much broader marketplace, and carries more traction. It makes the purchase decision easier for a besieged consumer. It even makes us look stronger and more capable.

Why do we fail to partner up and to work in cooperation, as a Team? Here are my educated guesses:

1. We are naturally distrustful of others and feel that they will steal our clients and market;


2. We are too busy trying to be soloists to actually listen to a teamwork proposition;


3. We are so used to self-promotion, that we have forgotten about the benefits of cooperation, united efforts, the power of large numbers and having the comfort and support of partnership;


4. We view virtually everyone as an adversary;


5. We are so overly busy with our efforts, that we view spending time with others in a consolidated effort to be burdensome -- we can't afford the time.

Allow me to observe that not a single one of those reasons is a valid excuse for failing to work together. As I mentioned in a conversation with Wendy Weiss (the Queen Of Cold-Calling) just two days ago, cooperation trumps competition any day.

At TNNW, we are not just an information source, a services provider or a promotional platform. We are a community, and a community is merely a large team. If we do not work to support each other, we hurt each other and hurt ourselves. The smaller and newer our businesses, the more we need to leverage the efforts, experience and expertise of others just like us.

Some last things:

1. Don't just sell your product or service -- sell the idea of your being a great prospective partner;


2. Don't just collect cards and broadcast on the social media. Reach out to build relationships, and your Relationship Capital Quotient.


3. Let's stop the economic anarchy. Let's stop the epidemic of social solitary, and quiet desperation. Let's get back into the youthful habits of learning and teaching -- of bartering and trading -- of being friends.

Dedicate time to building relationships, and to forming partnerships and teams. None of the Billionaires who we read about become successful without help. We are just like them -- Human Beings needing other Human Beings. The difference between being financially secure and struggling is RELATIONSHIP-BUILDING. Don't just broadcast; converse!

Teams are productive entities. Pick your teammates carefully...start really talking to your colleagues to find the best team players to enrich and accelerate your efforts.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

p.s. The uncomfortable-looking guy in the center of the photo (looking like a Mafia don) is me, forced into making a speech at a philanthropic event.

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Posted to THE NATIONAL NETWORKER (TNNW). All rights reserved.

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