Your Team and How To Always Be Ready
Have you ever had a bad day? A day where you’re just off your game. You’re right there it’s all about to work out and then boom it just doesn’t. This is where your team comes in, they are the ones you look to. If your down, their up, if you’re up and they’re down then you lift them up. The only way to always be ready is to take ownership and guide your team.
As a leader, you are in charge of many diverse people and personalities. The biggest thing with being a leader is that you don’t try and control anything. But instead you inspire, guide, refocus, and help open the possibilities for your team.
Even if you are not a leader to a business team, you are still the leader of your own life. Do not take being a leader of your own life lightly, this is a much more important concept to realize. You as the leader of your own life, have to be willing to stand in your own power and craft the reality you deserve. You can control everything about your environment.
When you take charge you can be as selective as you feel necessary. For example, the annoying person that doesn’t really care about you, and just wants you to listen and talk about their own problems. Ditch’um. The person that just unloads on you and leaves. Ditch’um. The person that is always there for you when you need them and vice versa. Keep’um.
Okay, you have your task for the week to find and create the environment necessary for you to thrive and be ready all the time. See you in one week.
But wait what does it mean to be ready all the time? How does this affect me and my environment? What does this have to do with ditching, keeping, and finding?
What the hell does being ready the time mean?
I’m not talking about staying up 24 hours a day, 7 days a week forever. Grinding and hustling until you can’t possibly grind and hustle anymore. I will leave that to Gary V, Uncle G, and everyone else.
Being ready all the time is a direct reflection of your leadership and the guidance you bestow on your team. Yes, I said bestow. Whether it is personal or for business it doesn’t matter. When you can be ready all the time you know you’re doing things right.
Okay, so what is it? It is the pure essence of a team. In a team, you join forces to accomplish something, and if you want to be as effective as possible you have to take care of one another. When you’re not feeling 100 your teammates are there to pick up the slack. Even more importantly if your team isn’t feeling 100 you are there to refocus, re-inspire, re-engage and just be there for them.
How to Ensure Your Ready All The Time
When I was in the SEAL teams I was given the opportunity to lead some of the best people in the world. I made the effort to hear them, listen, and take action when necessary. Making every effort to be there for my team in its entirety and when necessary my individual team members as much as possible. By being proactive in leadership I earned trust and when I was down they were up filling in for me and vice versa.
Leadership is no small task when leading others, but especially when you’re leading yourself. Those who are willing will make a huge difference in people lives and especially your own.
4. Be Willing
Just as the last sentence suggests you have to be willing. Absolutely willing, and genuine when you’re going into a leadership position. Especially when leading yourself. If you are not willing and genuine the first problem you encounter will crack you wide open. Exposing the true nature of your abilities.
Think about it when did you go half speed into something? Do you go about your life never even getting close to your potential because you are unhappy, unsatisfied, uninspired, etc? In either case, your results are most likely marginal at best, never really feeling true happiness to your core.
If you had to protect your own child I guarantee you would be very willing and all in. You would do everything it took to succeed and be happy in the end. It is the same thing with leading. You have to be all in willing to accomplish your tasks, inspire others, and positively change yourself.
3. Yourself or Others Doesn’t Matter
In both scenarios, personal or business, you have to find the goal, the place you’re trying to get. Once you figure out what the destination is you now have to constantly inspire, and re-inspire yourself and your team to go after it. You may have to have 10-minute meetings every day to refocus and re-inspire. But it doesn’t matter because you know what it means to lead and you’re willing to do what it takes.
But the cool part about this is that when you are passionate, inspired and focused it fires you up even more to re-inspire yourself and others. The reason for this is because you get to remember and express everything you love about what you’re trying to accomplish. If you are 100% sold on your goals you will have no issue giving people the inspiration they require.
I hope now you understand the importance of finding whatever it is that makes you willing without question. It all comes back to you, you are the hub that everything comes from, so you have to be sure in its construction. You must find that thing, whatever it is, that makes you get out of bed. Because it doesn’t matter if it’s a business team or yourself you still have to be the most inspired and dedicated to the goal you’re trying to achieve.
2. Leading is Essential
You are creating other leaders when you lead. The future is in your hands no matter what. Even if you don’t have a team in a company and all you have is friends and family. They are your team.
Everything you do to show them how you should be treated, and how you interact with the world is teaching them how to lead themselves. This article is not just for those that are in a corporation leading a team. It is for everyone who wants to make a difference in their own life.
In every aspect of life, there is a leader. Wolves in a wolf pack, Deer, Elk, Bears, we as people. Each and every species has its own forms of leaders. Each one of those leaders and its team members had to decide on themselves first. Just as there is a pecking order in a wolf pack. The Alpha is the leader, and the Omega is the lowest ranking wolf. Every member is important to the team and any member can make a difference or change their path anytime. Just as the Omega makes a choice, to not be the Omega anymore and works its way to be the Alpha.
You can do the same by realizing you are in charge of yourself and make a difference. Just by making the choice and being willing to walk it you have accomplished one of the hardest tasks.
1. Show Them What It Means
This is where the rubber meets the road. You either show up or shut up. Whichever you choose will determine your team’s loyalty, and trust going forward.
When one of your team members is having a bad day. Show up and be there for that person, if you’re in a business environment and they are falling behind because they are having a bad day. Re-engage the team to pick up the slack while the other person comes back to full strength. If your entire team is dragging ass and/or feeling defeated don’t blame or complain. Figure out what the problem is and re-engage the team to get on task.
Let’s say you’re not a team leader of a big corporation. But you have friends, are you there for your friends when they have a bad day? Are you willing to go through the emotions with your friend, be a shoulder to cry on, tell them what they need to hear, not just what they want to hear?
If you show your willingness in either situation whether corporate or personal. You will have loyalty and strength beyond any team you have probably ever been on.
Now you are ready all the time. Because of the effort, your willingness to give will pay off when you are falling behind and need support. Your team loyalty will show through, there is no need for favors or special cash in’s. They are there for you and you are there for them.
Ready All The Time
Leading is not just your ability to yell and direct people. You may have previous leadership that showed or taught you these things. This style only gets you so far, and having people work in fear of your rath will not allow them to achieve their full potential. Which in turn means more achievement for your team and from a personal perspective it means you actually have good friends that will be there for you no matter what.
Lead with purpose, lead with passion, and lead because you understand that leading is not just getting people to a goal. But inspiring those on your team to become better versions of themselves, with the possibility of surpassing you.
You are leading the future leaders, no matter business or personal. You are teaching people how to lead and treat one another which will get them further down their own path.
Take action for yourself and others. Nothing about this is difficult it’s your willingness that’s the hardest step. Action in the right direction is more important than action just for action’s sake. Make a lasting change going forward, not just in your life but others lives as well.
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Lead don’t just be led. Thanks for reading.