On a daily basis I do the work of many. Often times, people ask me how I do it all without losing my mind. The answer is simple. I don’t do it all by myself AT ALL! I have a First Class Dream team.
There is no way I could be an effective mother, wife, friend, daughter, business owner, author, consultant, housekeeper, chauffeur, mediator, youth minister and SPADES expert (you better ask somebody!) all at the same time.
Everyone’s Dream Team may look different. Your dream team should be constructed around your needs, strengths and weakness!
Your dream team should be there for you on a personal and professional basis. Sometimes these two groups may crossover but rarely. Just like these two groups have certain expectations of you, you have expectations of them.
My personal dream team helps hold me up. They are my friends, family, and people who I can call on to watch my kids, pray for me, or even have a night on the town with; My inner circle. They are people who directly support me!
Then I have my professional dream team. These are the people who assist me in the day-to-day operation of my business, my realtor, accountant, web designer, my mastermind, marketing director and stylist. These are the people who directly support the Business and the Brand.
So how do you build a DREAM TEAM? I am so glad you ask.
Look for people who already support you without fail
Talk to them about how you can INTENTIONALLY place them on your DREAM TEAM. Don’t overlook your supporters. For me this was the key helper to getting my school, Imagine Me Academy, open. They help with enrollment drives, typing handbooks, painting, building a fence and so much more. In my 1st year, there were about 20 volunteers in all. They want to support the VISION. Of those 20 about 4 are constantly on my DREAM TEAM, but they all played a significant role!
Identify what causing the most stress and time
Look at who can help you continuously. This is great position for you team. This person may already be in your circle or you may need to seek someone new. All the people on your team are not FREE labor. Be conscious and considerate of who you need and pay and who will help for free.
Communicate your vision and role to each team member
This is super important; Effective communication is a true sign of an effective leader. You need to make sure you not only write the vision, but also need to communicate your WHY and plan to accomplish it. The people on your dream team should be able to communicate that vision and your core principles if they will run this race with you.
Surround yourself with people who can contain and uplift your VISION
Most likely people with no vision for their life cannot understand your vision. I am not throwing shade! Okay, I am. But it is true. Don’t feed your BIG goals to SMALL minded people. This will be important when you need the encouragement of your team.
Have mentors and advisers on your team
Don’t worry this is not a pitch…. But it is necessary for your success. Mentor and advisers do not have to be a complicated or expensive component of your team.
When I decided to start the school, I looked for people who were doing the exact thing I wanted to do. I look for signs of excellence and integrity before I ever approached them. I approached each of the 3 people and simply asked if i could interview them for 15 minutes about their experience and they each agreed. I asked the quality targeted questions at the end, I asked them for permission to talk them again based on their availability. That was the start of forming a personal mentor-ship relationship.
Then I had “CRUSH MENTORS!” Some of my crush mentor include Lisa Nichols, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Amy Porterfield, Iyanla Vanzant, Oprah Winfrey, John Lee Dumas, Ron Clark, Mikki Taylor and Marie Forleo. I have had the pleasure of meeting several of this people. But primarily the are “CRUSH MENTORS” that you can easily connect with through the books, sermons, courses, appearances, conference and mailing list. These icons give so much information and encourage and are not as unreachable as some may think!
Having a dream team is a huge part of my success. I can’t do it all alone. In fact, my dreams are so much bigger than me. They are not designed for one-woman show. With sincere gratitude, I thank every person who supported Imagine Me Academy and Powerhouses (and the host of businesses that didn’t make the final cut!)
This journey of entrepreneurship doesn’t have to be lonely. Create a support system to help you along the way! Just remember, don’t abuse your Dream Team. However, make sure you are utilizing them to their greatest potential so you can reach yours.
Brandy Woods,
Imagine Me Academy, CEO
Powerhouses United, Founder Blog Post
Dream Team up to Win
