Team Building and the Sole Practitioner

Sole practitioners face unique challenges in building successful companies. While the phrase: "No man is an island", may be a cliché, it is none-the-less true as it applies to the individual practitioner. To be successful, the individual practitioner must draw on the expertise of a diverse group. This includes administrative support, both full-time, part-time or virtual, vendors and suppliers, and outside professionals such as lawyers and accountants. In practice, this translates into a unique challenge of building a team of individuals who may sometimes have conflicting loyalties and priorities. In fact, they may never actually meet. Although this may complicate the process of team-building, but also makes it much more important.

Team building at its core is about relationships. The most effective leaders to build strong relationships with and among their team members. Since there is an easy step to shape the team into an effective, high performance. Building strong relationships is based on the following five principles:

Effective communication two-way communication is the cornerstone of building relationships and, by extension, team building. It is not enough that you clearly express your goals and expectations. You must also listen and respond to the doubts of your team, concerns and ideas.

Trust All good relationships are built on trust. Your team must believe that you are committed to your goals and the relationship you are building with them. On the other hand, you must trust that the members of your team will act in your best interest and will be there for you when needed.

Commitment If you are not committed to your goals, you will not get your team to commit. First you must make sure that the team understands and accepts your objectives and their place in their realization. Obtain commitment requires a good knowledge of the risks and benefits shared in their achievement, and a well-understood system to address the doubts and fears of the team.

Inclusion In order to build an effective team members must feel that their contribution and performance is important. In addition, you must take the time to address any doubts, fears or uncertainties team members can express. Develop a climate of inclusion will result in a team that is committed to, even if I disagree with the steps to follow to achieve your goals as a single professional.

Shared Responsibility Your team must understand that your success is their success. Once the communication, trust, commitment and inclusion are established, team members accept their roles and work with enthusiasm to help you achieve your goals.

The single most effective practitioners are those who have learned the five principles listed above and built support teams. Emphasizing communication, trust, commitment, inclusiveness and shared responsibility to work with those who support them, these professionals have built teams that are committed to their success and work diligently to support the objectives of the practitioner. And this is the ultimate measure of an effective team .......