Publication number: ELQ-20675-1
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How to Learn From Your Team And Succeed Together
Starting and running a company is a team effort, you can’t do it alone. To be a team player follow these 8 simple steps.
Introduction
Starting and running a company is a team effort. Yes, it takes a leader (entrepreneur), but you can’t do it alone, without a team. Maybe only you and a co-founder comprise the team at first, to provide key skills, back you up, and test your ideas. As the startup grows, the team has to be able to really push you in making growth decisions, rather than you pulling them along.
The responsibility for leadership rests on you as the founder or CEO, and your leadership style. Many entrepreneurs still fall back to the traditional “control” leadership paradigm, but I don’t see it working so well any more. I agree more with Dr. Roger Schwarz and his classic book, “Smart Leaders, Smarter Teams.” He outlines eight keys to an effective mutual learning approach as follows:
- Step n°1 |
State views and ask genuine questions.
When you state your views and ask genuine questions, you are convincingly open and curious. Understand that curiosity doesn’t mean agreement, and all questions are not genuine. Recognize that rhetorical questions seek to make a point or make people do something, not come up with a real answer.
- Step n°2 |
Share all relevant information.
All team members need all the right information, before they can make, understand, and implement forward-looking decisions. That means sharing timely information that doesn’t always support your view, or might upset others. You should disclose your feelings, and any limiting factors like privacy or legality.
