Teamwork builds a business

Teamwork builds a business

Teamwork is one of the leading indicators of a strong network marketing system.

Paper Chain Men
Creative Commons License photo credit: ArtemFinland

I considered that recently while reading “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” by Patrick Lencioni. The book, which is described as a “leadership fable,” is a fictional story about how a newly hired CEO leads the executive staff of a troubled technology company.

Lencioni then follows the narrative with an overview of the model it describes. As a strong proponent of using teamwork to build a network marketing business, I appreciated his work.

According to Lencioni, dysfunctional teams have an absence of trust, a fear of conflict, a lack of commitment, an avoidance of accountability and an inattention to results. Or, spoken positively, functional teams trust each other, engage in unfiltered conflict about ideas, commit to decisions and action, hold each other accountable, and focus on achieving results.

As I read the book, I was struck with how the characteristics applied to network marketing.

Trust. In network marketing, people have to rely on each other. When you sponsor someone, that person has to be able to trust you.

At times, you might want to sugarcoat something your company has done. It’s especially tempting to make network marking seem easier than it really is. As my sponsor likes to say, “There’s a reason they call it net-‘work’ marketing.”

If you want to be a good upline, be upfront with folks. No matter what’s happening, it is what it is and they’ll probably find out eventually anyway.

Conflict. This one might seem counter-intuitive. Most people think conflict is bad. But conflict can be good if it’s centered around ideas and not around personalities. Healthy discussion and debate is a good thing.

When someone on your team is on the wrong track, call him or her on it. The person might not appreciate it immediately, but later on, if you’re being truthful and trying to help, they’ll realize it and be grateful.

Commitment. One of the most important factors that will guarantee your success is to decide that you won’t quit until you’re successful.

When you make that kind of promise to yourself, the way you conduct yourself will show it. You’ll be confident, because you know that success is only a matter of time.

Accountability. One of the best things you can do for your business is to find an accountability partner. Once you have someone who will recognize your excuses, you’re less like to make them.

After a while you’ll even start making those excuses to yourself.

Results. Many times in business, we feel like we’re like spinning our wheels. Often it’s because we are spinning our wheels.

One key to success is learning the difference between busywork and efforts that bring about results. If it’s not clear to you, talk to someone who’s already successful. Chances are, they’ll set you straight.

Any successful networking system will be run by a well-functioning team. Find such a team and you’re on your way to living your dreams.

Steve DeVane

2 thoughts on “Teamwork builds a business

  1. Steve

    Thanks for the book review. Sounds like a great guide to use in your business and team building process. I really like the tips you point out from the book that relate to network marketing.

    Gary McElwain

  2. Gary,

    The book is great for folks who want to improve their teams. It’s a pretty easy read, too.

    Thanks for the comment.

    Steve

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *