How are you building your team?

A client recently told me that he wanted to “hire a team” to lead a new enterprise he was establishing in his business.

You can’t hire a team…

You can hire professionals, with knowledge and skills needed to get things done.

You can hire consultants, to augment the professionals you’ve hired.

But you can’t hire a team.

A team is a different proposition all together. Being a team is a decision…a decision made by each individual member of the team.

A team is made up of folks who share a common intention, and who appreciate the knowledge and skills of the other members of the team.

These are folks who are willing to put aside their own individual visions, in favor of the larger team’s vision.

These are folks who come to the work willing to be influenced by others, and willing to follow leadership in that pursuit.

These are folks who share information openly, offer mutual support and help, and disdain things like interpersonal politics, gossip, and cynicism.

You can’t hire this…

You can only hire folks who have these characteristics, and who want to work as a team with colleagues who share that same desire.

The rest is leadership. A team is something you build, over time.  How are you building your team?