Does this sound like a familiar tale..?
You get a great business idea, it works! You work really hard to grow your business and find you need to introduce a team of people to help you. BUT! You’re not sure the team members are all working towards the same goal as you – you suspect they have their own agenda and may not be as passionate about the goal as you are…
So, to ensure the whole team is on the same path and pulling together to help you reach your T.E.R.M.S you need to understand what that team should look like, and importantly how to create a positive environment and business culture to cultivate true teamwork.
Let’s have four questions in mind as we figure it out…
- What would happen to your business if you weren’t around?
- What are your mission, vision, values and purpose?
- Does your business model canvas highlight roles that could be filled by someone else?
- How can you roll out your mission, vision, values and purpose?
How dependent is your business on you right now?
Large businesses that are successful can run well even if the owner doesn’t show up. This is the goal… This is where the Entrepreneur’s Circle wants to get you… And to get there you need to reach a mindset that allows you to stop working IN the business and stop micromanaging your team. This is how you will achieve your T.E.R.M.S which will deliver your life plan.
What is the right environment for excellent teamwork?
Simply put, it is an environment where everyone understands the mission, vision, values and purpose (MVVP) of the business. It is therefore key to provide your team with the tools; knowledge, skills, technology, premises and space to thrive for you.
The business environment and culture can be heavily influenced by your mission, vision, values and purpose.
When communicated and understood properly they can be hugely valuable to your goal.
- Your mission: What are you going to do every day?
- Your vision: The goal you’re using your business to work towards
- Your values: The things that are important to you and define your attitude to your business, customers, suppliers and employees
- Your purpose: The big WHY!
If you haven’t done the work to define these four things yet, do! They are vital pieces of the puzzle and getting clarity on them in your own mind only serves to help your team understand them better.
It will also give you the confidence to give your team ownership and autonomy because they’ve now got the framework within which they can operate.
How to roll out your mission, vision, values and purpose…
Communicating these important factors in your business will eventually come naturally, once they are front of your mind. It is, however, essential to lead by example when it comes to managing the environment and culture in your business. If you want your team to be aligned with your own MVVP you have to show them you are committed yourself. A boss who shows up late, looking dishevelled or unprepared is not someone you want to work hard for…
You may also display posters in the office, use your MVVP in your business tag line, email footers and social media platforms, or mention them every time you have a meeting with your team. Living by your mission, vision, values and purpose will soon highlight those who are aligned, and those who may need more understanding.
A great example is the Entrepreneur’s Circle’s own Nigel Botterill’s value statement, which appears in a poster with two foot high lettering: ‘Do great work, give a sh!t, don’t be an assh*le’. Can you imagine the team that can’t get on board with that statement?!
I hope that with these considerations on aligning your team for the common goal go some way to get you closer to your life plan. If you’d like some help defining your MVVP, I’m on hand to offer guidance and experience to draw it out of you!