Teamwork makes the Dream work! A Classic From Paul Morris

At the risk of being accused of using old acronyms, I choose to use one of the more often used ones that aptly describes the power of working together as a team.

That acronym is TEAM - Together Everyone Achieves More. This philosophy is nothing new; it is simply a modern-day version of what Benjamin Franklin said 245 years ago when he coined the phrase, “United We Stand, divided we fall!”

In more than 50 years of involvement in Network Marketing, I have seen people try to succeed independently and work together as a team.

In variably the group that work together as a team have the greater success...

Admittedly, the team does require a leader to start things in motion and to organize things that create growth. The difference between a lone wolf who does it independently and a team leader is that the team leader shares the credit.

A good example of this is the Emmy Awards. The actors get all the glory and get on stage to accept the golden statue, but they would not have arrived without a great director and supporting actors, lighting, camera operators, sound effects, etc. Just watch at the end of the movie you watch, and as soon as all the actors are listed, you see a hundred or more people working behind the scenes.

The real, genuine, and classy people winning the awards are the ones who take the time to thank all those who were part of the team that made it all possible.

I love telling stories of true-life experiences that illustrate my teaching.

Several years ago, I worked for companies that sponsored race cars. One sponsored a NASCAR race, and the other sponsored a Petite Gran Prix race.

As an owner, I was invited to attend the races as a VIP guest and get a real behind-the-scenes look at the TEAM behind the race car.

People watching on TV see the race car and the driver, yet we were able to be in the pit and see all the mechanics ready to fuel the race car and change the tires in a matter of seconds. We could sit in the tractor-trailer mobile offices, where all the computers and large-screen monitors tracked speed, fuel efficiency, engine temperature, and tire pressures, to name just a few of the items being monitored.

It was an awesome experience to see how such a large team of people worked in harmony behind the scenes to create success. Yes, our driver won the race and got to stand on the podium holding the trophy, but we knew firsthand that it was certainly a team effort.

Network marketing is similar. If you want to reach the top, you must assemble a team to help you get there. You will still be the leader, but having a team to support you makes everything easier and your journey to the top much more fun.

The best way to garner the support of a team is to earn the respect of those who are willing to help you out. Be willing to work harder than those on your team. Study so that you always have something new to share with your team that helps them grow, but never come across as a “know it all.” Be generous with your praise of all who help you. Always thank them for anything and everything they do. When you show them that you respect them and are grateful for the help and support they give you, they will desire to support you all the more. Shower them with compliments.

Tell them how proud you are of them.

Tell them how important they are to your success and that you don’t know what to do without them. Let them know that you genuinely care about them and that you desire to help them reach their goals.

At gatherings always make each member of your team feel like they are the most important person there. Spend some special time with each of your team members. Get to know them. Learn their spouse's name and the names of their children. Remember their birthday. Send a handwritten thank you note for anything special that they have done or accomplished.

Take the words “I” and “my” out of your vocabulary and start saying “we,” “us,” and “our team.” When choices need to be made, consult with your team members so that it is a collaborative effort. Your team will support your decisions if they believe they were a part of those decisions.

Practice these principles and watch your team grow. Not only will your team help you reach your goals, but by setting the example, you will soon have teams within your team, and they will reach their goals.

My last real-life example is when I was a young lad working on my Uncle Bert and Aunt Flora’s 80-acre farm in Ledyard, Connecticut.

During the summers, they would have county fairs, and one of the popular events was the horse pull. A draft horse could pull between 5,000 and 8,000 pounds of concrete by itself. So, one might think that two draft horses could pull 16,000 pounds. A challenge was made to see what two draft horses could pull together. The results were astounding… not only could they pull 16,000 pounds, but as the weight kept being added to the skid, it was discovered that two horses could pull triple the weight that any single horse could pull, proving good old common ‘horse sense”, that two can do a lot more work as a team. Maybe this is why the old stagecoaches would have teams of four to six horses pulling them instead of just one.

How about you? Are you trying to do it all by yourself or assembling your team?