As someone who has done a lot of things on my own—being ‘solo’ became the norm for me. In fact, I wore it like a badge! Why? Because when you come from a background where you were practically forced to survive, you learn how to “handle your own.”
But as life would have it, I soon realized that being ‘solo’ was a lot to juggle—and it wasn’t the most effective way to reach my God-given dreams. You see…I knew what I was capable of; and I knew that the gifts and talents I had were pretty sweet (Yes…I stopped ‘down-playing’ my talents a long time ago. And you should too!). But the point to be made is: I knew that my creator made no mistakes when he blessed me with my particular gifts and talents. He was intentional. But guess what? In all of my ‘greatness,’ I also knew the POWER of working with an even greater TEAM!
You see, when you are a self-starter, you must be careful not to put ‘too much’ stock in being solo. Because in life, you will need others. Granted, your individuality is what makes you, YOU! But whether you are an entrepreneur, or working a 9-5 (I do both), you need others (Trust me…just keep living, as my mother often says).
And the amazing thing about God is, he will find multiple ‘teachable’ moments if you have an open heart, mind and ear. It has happened to me countless times—the most recent being within the past month of starting my new role at the University of Tennessee as the Internal Communications Coordinator.
One day, while working on some ‘internal communications’ at work, it was like God spoke a simple, yet powerful word to me: “Canena…there is power in a team…you don’t have to do everything solo…I am giving you help” And as I sat and looked over one of our (many) processes, it was like God was showing me the power of having yet again, an amazing SQUAD (as I’ve had great teams in the past as well)!
Example:
In one of my particular roles/job responsibilities (Newsletters), before anything is published and/or shared, there is a critical editing process. All stories are vetted, then once accepted, there is a series of editing involved (from 4 to 8+ different steps, by various individuals with diverse expertise). So, think about this… what if you changed your perceptions about working with others from being ‘negative’ to something positive? What if having a second set of eyes was for your good? What if having someone ‘perfect’ your work would actually make you more credible and valuable (and some might be saying, well…there are savages out here—and that’s true; however, that’s not the topic right now).
All of that to say, having a team could be the game changer in your career and business (and in your life)! And this will not change who you are—or your level of greatness…it will actually INCREASE it! In fact, according to research, teamwork (in the long term) is much more productive than doing it all on your own—or having a few high-level managers dictating direction without any input from the people who actually perform the work. Granted, “Teamwork and trust go hand in hand. It’s very difficult to have one without the other. Open communication is consistently pointed to as the main facilitator in building effective teams. Relationships are built on conversations.” -Forbes
So yeah…riding solo is cool; and it has its place! But… don’t’ sleep on having a great TEAM! You (or your business) could be just one TEAM away from GREATNESS!!!
Canena Adams, MA, BSW
Wife | Mother | Writer | Internal Communications Coordinator {University of Tennessee} | Author | Public Speaker | Social Worker | Business Owner | Nonprofit Founder & Director | Sexual Risk Avoidance Specialist | Healthy Family & Relationship Advocate | Adjunct College Prof. | PhD Student
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