No Man (or Woman) is an Island

Teamwork is vital to the success of virtually any business – a restaurant, retail store, huge corporation or a network marketing business.  No one stands alone and expects to accomplish all that needs to be done.  In retail and corporations, each person serves a specific purpose, and if one person isn’t holding up their end, the remaining people must pick up the slack.  In most situations, the “slacker” wouldn’t last very long with their company.  They would be fired.

In network marketing, teamwork is a bit different.  Unless a team member violates company rules, they generally cannot be “fired.”  There are a few elements that are needed to keep a team running smoothly. 

·        A common purpose.  With network marketing, each individual in a team is an independent business owner, but each joined the network to achieve success.  Yes, I know that not all the team members will ever be successful, but I’m talking a common purpose.

·        Interdependence.  Each member of a network marketing team depends on at least one other person to reach their goals.  They depend on their sponsor to train them and support them along their path.  Team leaders depend on each of their members to work their business, thus helping both the member and leader to grow their businesses.

·        Roles and contributions.  Each person can play more than one role in network marketing.  If they are building a team, they are a team leader.  However, that leader also has their own sponsor, and they are a member of that person’s team, helping their own sponsor by making sales.  How much each individual contributes to the team can greatly affect the success of many.

·        Accountability, both individual and mutual.  Each individual within a team is responsible to themselves to grow their personal business.  At the same time, they are also accountable to the team as a whole.  It is true that, in network marketing, there are always going to be those who do not take this responsibility seriously, either to themselves or their team.  These people never succeed.

·        Empowerment.  Independent business owners have the power to create an empire, make a decent living or supplement their income.  They are empowered to make their choices and work their businesses accordingly.  There is both freedom and challenges that come with empowerment.

Those individuals in network marketing who do not consider themselves part of a team are rarely successful.  Working together to achieve that common purpose drives each individual to work harder to help themselves and the team. 

·        Team meetings, Webinars and conference calls can help members of a team to see how important they are to the team as a whole. 

·        Competition between different teams can inspire team members to work harder to earn the prize and to help the team at the same time. 

·        For those who have team members who reside in their community, having local team events can help to strengthen a team. 

No matter how we do it, those leading a team must encourage their teams to work for the benefit of the company as a whole, for the team and for themselves.  They are all intertwined, and when everyone on a team works for the same common purpose, they are helping to create and maintain both a strong team and a successful business.

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For Xpress Healthcare® business opportunity info, visit http://joinxpresshealthcare.com. 

For affordable discount plans to reduce your Health and Dental expenses AND reduce costs on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and even more, visit: http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings (NOT insurance). 

Is Your Team Motivated?

There are many ways to keep your team motivated. Here are a few that I think can work effectively.

· It is important to keep your team members informed.
Be sure they are aware of everything that happens in the company that will affect them, directly or indirectly. Hold regular meetings and/or conference calls. We all feel more important if we feel like “insiders,” when we know about changes, improvements and news going on in the company. If they feel as though they are not “in the loop,” their performance may suffer.

· Acknowledge Accomplishments and Give Regular Feedback
Positive feedback is what keeps everyone moving forward. It’s essential to improve your team’s work. It’s not all about praises, but about objective and concrete information that helps them improve the performance of the team. Don’t criticize if someone makes a mistake. Instead, discuss ways they can improve their activities next time, asking for their input.

· Praise Generously
Acknowledge and recognize a job well done, or even a great effort that perhaps didn’t provide the results they’d hoped for. Don’t pass up an opportunity to make each person feel better about themselves and their work.

· Help Each Team Member to Build on their Leadership Skills

Leadership means learning to see the best in the others to empower their potential, which subsequently will help to fulfill the team’s goals. When we treat everyone with respect and show our approval, we’re creating a climate where the team’s assets will actually appreciate in value.

· Share the Vision
Create an exciting future by shaping a vision that it will compel your team to move toward it, to reach out and grab the prize. Visions are powerful, and when they are shared and understood by your team, it helps to overcome obstacles that may stand in the way. 

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To learn about Julie Klein and the Xpress Healthcare Business Opportunity, please visit http://joinxpresshealthcare.com.  You can work from home and earn residual income.

For information about how you can Save Money on Your Health and Dental Costs AND Save on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, LifeLock™ and much more, please visit http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings   (NOT insurance)

I'd Like to Get to Know You

In order to get to know one another better, I created a new game to play on my team call last night.  Although each of us owns our own business, we also work as a team.  I believe that knowing one another makes for a more cohesive group.

So, prior to our team call, I sent an email to everyone asking them to send me one thing about themselves that no one on the team was likely to know.  Several people sent me their “secret,” and I presented them on our team call, without saying which belonged to whom.  I read them and asked the team who they thought each one belonged to.

The “secret” statements were really varied.  Here is a sampling of those submitted.

I have lived, worked or traveled in 14 countries with three mission agencies.

I am a certified Stock Broker and Commodity Analyst.

I love “beading.”

I am a HUGE Bugs Bunny fan.

I am Portuguese and was born in the Azores.

I love riding motorcycles.

I love gardening.

I have a 10 year old dog named Lola.

No one could positively identify which statement matched which team member.  I suggested that they take guesses.  By taking guesses, only three people were linked to their own statement. We laughed and chatted a bit about each person’s statement and were really surprised by a couple of them.  (A stay-at-home mom is the one who loves to ride motorcycles.)

This game only took about ten minutes, leaving plenty of time for our topic presentation for the night.  Everyone enjoyed it, and we now know one another just a little better.

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To learn about Julie Klein and the Xpress Healthcare Business Opportunity, please visit http://joinxpresshealthcare.com.  You can work from home and earn residual income.

For information about how you can Save Money on Your Health and Dental Costs AND Save on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and much more, please visit http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings   (NOT insurance)