Article by: Cameron Prestwich
VQS Advice Blog | Cover Image by Hannah Busing
Learn why team building is vital to your career’s future.
- Table of Contents
1. Figure Out The “Why” - 2. Use Your Voice To Help The Team
- 3. Ask Them What They Need
- 4. Let Your Team Play Their Strengths
- 5. How to Build Real Trust
Building and maintaining a successful team can feel like a challenging and slow process however,
the rewards of a thriving team will almost always outrun the DIY project.
How many times have you found yourself holding back from sending “that message”, or speaking up about something?
Here are our top 5 tips for a thriving team:
1. Figure Out The “Why”
One of my favorite college professors, Spencer Taggart, spent a great deal of our intro to digital marketing class emphasizing the “why” behind what we do. He cared so much about this, that he dedicated the first two weeks of class to have each of us figure out and define our own “why” in ten words or less.
We needed to ask ourselves questions like:
- What is my purpose?
- Why do I exist?
- What is my vision?
Spencer taught us that once we get small and know our “why”, we can do things bigger than we ever imagined.
This isn’t just relevant for navigating your life,
it should be applied to anything you involve yourself with—music, business, networking, etc. Once you know the motive behind what you are doing, it is so much easier to execute the task at hand, do your job with passion and without fear.
Expanding your network or wanting to establish a relationship with a certain person can be intimidating. You might want to quit a project because of clashing opinions.
If you know the purpose behind what you are a part of, it will drive you to stay and finish even stronger than when you started.
2. Use Your Voice To Help The Team
Connecting with people can be daunting…
especially when you are trying to create a relationship with someone who has far more experience or knowledge than you. The hardest part of it though is just getting yourself to initiate a conversation, whether it is in person, on the phone, or online.
Once you’ve got the ball rolling,
it will be easier to do it over and over again. Going back to the “why”, if you remember the whole reason you are trying to build relationships, it will give you the confidence to go for them.
The same can be said when working in a group. People are looking for the best idea regardless of the work environment they are in, and it could be yours. So, don’t be afraid to speak up and share your thoughts. Don’t doubt your ideas either.
Sometimes the solution may seem obvious…
to one person and they assume it is to everyone else, so they wait to speak because they are waiting for someone else to say it. Then that person finally speaks up, and they are the only ones who had the idea that everyone involved was looking for. Use your voice and use it well.
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3. Ask Them What They Need
Connecting with people is all about communicating.
We are exchanging:
- talents
- strengths
- and skills to create a mutually beneficial relationship.
Asking people what they need will help you…
to understand their vision and how you can contribute to it. Doing this shows that you can bring their dreams to life. Again, returning to the “why”, once you know the impetus for what you are doing, you can paint a more colorful picture than what was previously imagined.
4. Let Your Team Play Their Strengths
Allow people to play the role they are best at.
Multiplatinum producer and songwriter, Tommy Brown, one of the talented minds behind the hit single and album, “Thank U, Next”, said the following in an interview with Complex, “What I do is try to pick the all-star players around me… So, when I’m stepping into the room with these people… I don’t need to write, because they’re so talented.”
On the Zach Sang Show, Ariana Grande shared that they had, “boys in one room producing, girls in the other writing, singing, comping, producing each other”, when it came to the process of creating “Thank U, Next”. This album ended up breaking even more records than Grande’s previous bodies of work.
When working in a group,
don’t micromanage or spread yourself thin by trying to do every single task there is. By delegating, you’ll have the eyes, ears, and opinions of others to give a fresh, different perspective of the work at hand.
If you have a solid team of people who have each honed their craft, everyone involved can invest their time and energy wisely by focusing on what they specialize in.
5. How to Build Real Trust
Authenticity is key, it’s easy to see through someone who isn’t.
Being a genuine person will get you further in the long run.
Another principle Spencer emphasized in class is that marketing essentially comes down to relationships. He talked about how relationships are built on trust, and that you can do that by serving the other person. Invest in whoever you’re trying to build with. Be there for them. Show them your dedication and will. Do everything you can to bring their vision to life. Build trust with genuineness and you won’t lose it.
We each have something worthy to contribute whether it’s to a person’s vision or a group project. These 5 tips have helped me be successful in my career so far, and I know they can be useful for you too. What have you found to be beneficial in your experience with connecting with people and teamwork? I’d love to know.
Summary:
- 1. Figure Out The “Why”
- 2. Use Your Voice To Help The Team
- 3. Ask Them What They Need
- 4. Let Your Team Play Their Strengths
- 5. How to Build Real Trust
Article by: Cameron Prestwich
VQS ADVICE BLOG | MINDSET TOOLS FOR CREATORS
