Top 10 Things You Need to Know When Building an Organization/Team (Any Business)
Hey guys! Paul Argueta here! I’m going to cover with you the top ten things that you need to know when you’re building your organization, and as an entrepreneur as an independent contractor as a business owner as a professional you will eventually need to learn how to build a team. Newsflash! You can’t do it all on your own and you’re not going to be able to and even if you could you’d probably go crazy. You really need to master the art of delegation and the art of building an organization and today we’re going to talk about some of the darker stuff that a lot of people might not want to share, but it does come with the territory. It’s part of the course.
Number #1:
You have to have a vision. Now, some of you’re going to say “well Paul my vision is to be wildly successful. My vision is to make a lot of money. My vision is to service X number of clients,” and I hate to break it to you but that is not a vision. What is the story of your company? What is the story of your brand? What is the vision that you have not only for you but for the organization, for the clients you serve? What is your vision? Now, for those of you who are already good at this I would love for you to comment below and share with me what your vision is.
Number #2:
The second thing that you need to know when you are building your organization is this… You will only be able to attract people who are at your level or below. This is very important because if you want a shark to join your organization then you better be a shark yourself, and what this means is that as an entrepreneur you are going to be an adaptation machine. In other words, you are going to be in a consistent phase of improvement. You’re always looking to improve. You’re always looking to make yourself better. You’re always looking to become the person that you want to attract into your organization because you know that you’re not going to be able to attract anyone who is above your level and so the only way to get those type of people is for you to improve yourself.
What does this mean? This means that you are reading books. You are attending seminars. You’re attending conferences. You’re going to masterminds. You’re investing money in yourself to improve your craft, and not only your craft but to improve the whole picture. We’re not just talking business here. We’re talking about your health. We’re talking about your family life. We’re talking about your spirituality. We’re talking about your business. We’re talking about constantly working on improving yourself because no matter how good you are or how high you are on the totem pole we all know that there’s always room for improvement, and just when you think that you can’t improve anymore something’s gonna happen the industry is gonna change there’s gonna be these disruptors and they’re gonna do something to you that is going to to disrupt you and cause you to to improve if you want to stay competitive. If you want to not only compete but to dominate.
This is just something that you’re gonna have to get used to. So, you will get used to being a little uncomfortable. You’re going to be a little uncomfortable almost all the time for those of you who are trying to build your organization and you’re trying to attract, recruit, whatever word you want to substitute those type of people into your organization.
Number #3:
The third thing that you need to know about building an organization is that you can’t go to your troops with your problems. Alright, so here’s the deal. We all have problems. You have problems. I have problems. Everyone has problems. Now, mind you these problems are all going to be relative to the person that is dealing with them. To the person that is carrying them around. To the person that is lugging them around like luggage. Everybody deals with problems differently but the worst thing that you can do as the leader of an organization is to go to your troops to the members of your organization and to start you know sharing all of your problems. All of the things that are going wrong.
Now, there’s going to be some people that are gonna say “well Paul you know I’d like to know that the person I’m working with is a little bit more emotional. I’d like to know that the person that I’m working with you know has feelings,” and that’s true and listen there’s nothing wrong with having feelings. There’s nothing wrong with having emotion. There’s nothing wrong with being empathetic. I get it, but at the end of the day at the end of the day I love basketball, so I’m going to use a basketball analogy. At the end of the day it’s point three seconds on the clock and you have a technical foul and you get to shoot the free throws. Are you going to go get your emotional free-throw shooter out there on the floor or are you going to go get the basketball player that has ice water in the veins? The one that shows no emotions but just comes in and gets it done. You’re gonna get the one you’re gonna choose the one that gets it done.
That’s the reality, so I’m not saying that you shouldn’t be empathetic in fact in this day and age it’s very important there’s something called emotional intelligence that you must have, but here’s the deal you also want to make sure that your truths that your organization that the people around you that the people that you’re trying to attract into that organization that those people know that come hell or high water barring injury you’re gonna show up and you’re gonna step up and you’re gonna be there, and when you’re constantly reminding them of all the problems that you have and all the stuff that you’re having to overcome and all the stuff that you’re dealing with and you start giving excuses as to why they’re not performing at the level that you should be performing at because you’ve got all those problems well then what happens is they start to question your leadership within the organization. So, look I’m not saying again that you don’t want to be empathetic to people what I am saying is you don’t need to share all of your problems… You’ll need to share all of your problems with the organization to demonstrate empathy for them. So, rule number three don’t share all your problems with your troops.
Number #4:
Something that you need to know as you build your organization is that leaders lead by example. They lead by example. Now, I’m a big proponent as our most successful entrepreneur of delegation, so there are certain things that you know I get it you’re gonna delegate because it’s below your pay grade. You’re not gonna want to be doing it. I can appreciate that and I respect that, but at the end of the day your organization needs to know that you’re going to work just as hard as they are that you’re going to be in the trenches with them that when the going gets tough you’re gonna be there with them in the trenches as opposed to just barking orders. Leaders lead by example, and I will tell you that they don’t need to fear monger people into sticking around when they lead by example.
So, the fourth thing that you need to know and it’s very important is that you lead your organization by example that you carry the flag and you demonstrate to them how you want them to act, how you want them to look, how you want them to dress, how you want them to perform. These are all things that they will emulate as they see you do it. If you don’t do it it’s very difficult for them to want to do it themselves. If your organization is a mirror and so if your organization isn’t growing and shrinking it’s a mirror of your own personal behavior, so keep that in mind. You lead by example.
Now, we’re gonna dive into some of the darker stuff some of the stuff that you really need to be prepared for as the leader of your organization. There’s going to be some things that are gonna happen to you and you’re gonna need to know how to handle these things because it will happen. It happens in all organizations. Sometimes it happens early. Sometimes it happens late, but the next few things that I’m going to cover with you are very very important.
Number #5:
The fifth thing that you need to know about building your team your organization your company is that there will be turn over. No, not apple turnovers although I do like a good apple fritter. No, when I say turnover that means that there will be people that will be coming in and leaving the organization. The waves bring the seashells in and the waves take the seashells out. Some will stay with you. Some will not. Some will be with you for a very short period and some will be with you for a much longer period. It is a part of the business. I can’t tell you how many entrepreneurs I’ve met that are bitter. They’re bitter because they feel like they’ve invested in other people that didn’t stick around. Sorry not sorry. That’s gonna happen. That’s part of building an organization and again it’s nothing personal if someone leaves your organization they could be leaving for a variety of reasons. It could be in fact living because they weren’t happy, which is possible. They could be leaving because they’ve gotten enough information to where now they’re ready to sprout their own wings and they’re ready to go pursue something on their own, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
You can’t get upset with someone for wanting to grow or they’re just leaving because they want to pursue something else which is fine too, but at the end of the day at the end of the day if you do your job as the leader of an organization your job is to duplicate yourself. Your job is to create as many leaders as possible and so if you live in a state of fear where you’re keeping all of the great information to yourself because you don’t want your organization to grow because you want to keep people confined into this small bubble, what you’re doing is you’re working from a place of fear as opposed to a place of abundance. There is going to be a turnover. People are are going to leave your organization. You have to deal with that fact.
Now, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t connect with people. That doesn’t mean that you can’t become friends with people. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t share everything that you know with them. There are going to be people that are going to leave your organization that you will want to remain in contact with. Don’t burn any bridges because they’re gonna come back and they may ask for help or they may ask for guidance or you might ask for help you might ask for guidance and there will be a time where you guys will be able to get together and you’ll be able to share best practices. You’ll be able to share trade secrets. You’ll be able to work together, so you don’t want to burn any bridges. Just accept the reality and again I’m gonna use a sports analogy that today today we might be on the same team. Next week, you might be on a different team. The following week you might be coaching a team. You don’t really know whether that person is going to be. You can’t measure what they would like to become and so work from a place where you’re gonna give them everything you’ve got and for as long as they are a part of your organization that’s where they’re gonna get it, and if they do go out there and they do start their own organization or they do start their own team or they do start their own entrepreneurial endeavor god bless them. That’s probably the best way for someone to leave your organization as opposed for someone to leave your team or your company or your organization with a sour taste in their mouth feeling like really all they did was waste time building your dream and not really learning anything from it as a result. Just to recap number five, there is going to be a turnover and people will leave your organization. That is a part of building a team.
Number #6:
People can and people will outgrow you. Now, this is a tough pill because there will be members of your organization that will come in. Let’s say that they’re younger than you. Let’s say that they’re less experienced than you. Let’s say that they know less than you and you will teach them you will mold them you will mentor them and then then they outgrow you when they become your competition. That’s a part of business. Things like that can and things like that will happen and so all you can do as the leader of an organization again is appreciate the fact that these people have chosen you to mentor them.They’ve chosen you to guide them. They’ve chosen you to navigate the waters as they work their way up and as they improve themselves, and there’s no shame in that.
The reality is though people’s egos tend to get in the way and so when somebody else comes in it doesn’t matter what age group that they’re in but when somebody else comes in and you’ve mentored them and then they outgrow you it’s a difficult pill to swallow and a lot of people have a tough time when that person leaves an organization because they feel like they’ve invested all this time in that person and then that person left and took all of the information that they gave to them and now they’re starting their own business. Who cares? Who cares. If you’ve done your job as a leader then you would have consistently been improving yourself anyway but when you’re so busy being worried about what somebody else is doing then that’s where you start having problems anyway, so as a true leader and I’ve said it before you want to give them every single thing you’ve got be as transparent with the information that you’ve got on how to succeed and whatever endeavor it is that you’re doing so that they can go out there and they can succeed as well. That my friend is the gift. That is the best thing that you can do because you’ll pay it forward and it’ll pay you back in dividends. Maybe not immediately but eventually it will.
Number #7:
If you’re not growing you’re shrinking. So here’s the deal we’ve already talked about the turnover rate. We’ve already talked about people that you’ve invested time in leaving you. That’s just a part of the business. That’s a part of building an organization, but it gets even better because you’re busy being worried about one or two people leaving you but the reality is if you’re not growing then the truth is you’re probably shrinking. Knowing that there is a turnover rate knowing that people will probably leave you for a variety of different reasons hopefully on good terms right knowing these two things means that you have to be in a constant state of growth. That means that you’re always recruiting the talent. You’re always attracting new people into the organization. You’re always looking for other people.
You have to be a really good recruiter of talent and most organizations that are consistently growing and successful not only in sales but in business those organizations are the ones that have a really strong recruiting platform where they’re going out there and they’re getting talent. You have to think of yourself as the leader of your organization as a talent scout and you want to make sure that you get all of the talent to join your organization, but going back to what I said earlier if you want to get a shark then you need to be a shark which means that you have to constantly be in a state of a constant state of uncomfortability because you’re constantly trying to improve yourself, It’s like it’s a little bit like being on a treadmill.
I get it, and it sounds a little daunting when I say it out loud but the truth is is that you have to accept that you’re going to constantly be recruiting and attracting good people into your organization. Some will leave. Some will come. The point is is that people will come and people will go and you need more people coming then you need people leaving. That is something that you can control by making sure that you accepted the reality that we’re going to constantly have to be recruiting and growing your organization. It cannot stay the same size because if it is it isn’t growing. I don’t care if it stays the same size it’s shrinking.
Number #8:
The eighth thing that you need to know about building an organization I’ve already covered some of the darker stuff they’re gonna leave you, the turnover is high, they’re gonna take your information, they’re gonna leave, they may go out there become a competitor, they may be a little bit bigger than you even, and you still don’t want to burn bridges. It sounds a little little depressing. Oh, and if you’re not growing then you’re shrinking. It gets better. There will be people that will leave your organization and they will take people with you, so it gets better. They’re gonna leave you. They’re gonna take the information you gave them. They’re gonna become your competitor, and then they’re gonna take other members of the organization with them.
Holy s***. Why be in business? It’s not worth being in business. It’s not worth having to go through all that. Look, these are all the things that a big term entrepreneur says. These are all the thoughts that someone who has given up says. The reality is it’s just a part of building an organization. Yes, people are going to leave. Yes, they’re going to take the information that you’ve given and they’re going to try to compete with you, and yes they will try to take some of your talent with you. It is what it is. Accept that that’s part of the game. Again, it’s just like sports. One day we’re going to be on the same team. One day I’m going to leave. One day I’m gonna take your playbook, and one day I’m going to take your star player to come join me and play on my team too. That’s apart of business. Accept it.
The only thing that you can control is yourself and so if you’re always improving yourself, if you’re always adapting to the market, if you’re always looking for ways to disrupt your industry, if you’re always recruiting new talent, if you’re always attracting sharks because you are a shark and you’re constantly improving their show yourself and you’re always trying to improve your organization right, if you’re always doing these things, and you’re always growing versus staying the same then you shouldn’t be worried about other people taking some of your talent. Does it hurt? Yeah. It hurts. It sucks. It’s probably one of the worst feelings in the world especially when you worked hard to build your team and to build your organization. It’s not an easy thing to watch happen but it is going to happen to you if you are building a team. An organization. A company. It will happen to you.
Just be prepared for it, and that doesn’t mean that you need to work from a position of a fear or that you have to think of every day as doomsday. What’s going to happen to me today? Somebody’s going to leave me. Somebody’s gonna recruit some of my talent. Somebody’s going to take my playbook. I’m not telling you these things so that you can work out of fear. I’m sharing these things with you because they’re important things to know so that when they do happen it doesn’t shock you and it doesn’t come completely out of left field and it doesn’t knock you out the game because these things… Are they tough? They’re tough, but it’s not intended to take you out of your business. It’s not intended to shut your business down. These things they will hurt you but they won’t break you and they won’t get you to stop so be prepared for it understand that it’s a part of building your organization. It’s a part of building your team and it is things that can happen to you but when you’re mentally prepared for it and you’re doing all the things that we’re already preparing you to do then it shouldn’t be that much of a shocker and you’ll know how to handle it when and if it does.
So, I just covered some of the darker side. I’m gonna end on a positive note just so that we can… nameste.
Number #9:
It’s very important that you recognize people’s efforts. Very very important that you recognize them, that you pat them on the back. People need recognition. People need that. They want that. They desire that. The worst thing that can happen is for people to not know how much you appreciate them, so it’s very important that within your organization you recognize people’s efforts. You recognize their hard work. You recognize what they do for you and on top of that you thank them for it, and you give them a genuine kind gesture.
Listen, there are people that work for organizations and don’t necessarily pay them the highest salary but they’re there because of the culture. They’re there because of the environment. They’re there because they feel appreciated. They’re there because they feel like they’re a part of something bigger than themselves. That’s all we really want to be a part of and if you’re going to create the right culture then you need to create an environment to where your team and your organization are recognized regularly.
It’s very very important that you recognize their efforts and that could be things as simple as just sending them a text outside of business hours at six in the morning for example. It’s not uncommon for me when I’m at the gym at 5:00 a.m. in the morning to be sending out text messages to members of my organization thanking them. Thanking them for their hard work. Thanking them for putting themselves you know above and beyond the call of duty. You know send them these messages and I’m not saying to be disingenuous, I’m saying to speak from a place where you’re really demonstrating how much you mean to them, and here’s the thing you go up to them when nobody’s looking you pull them aside and you tell them I just want to thank you.
I just want to thank you for what you did yesterday. I want to thank you for how hard you work. I saw that you stayed here till about 6:30 or 7:00 p.m. last night. I want to thank you for doing that. I want to thank you for taking care of that client for making sure that they had coffee when they were out in the lobby, in the waiting area and nobody was talking to them and you had a big pile of paperwork and you were running to go take care of something and you saw them and you set it down and you went in and took care of it. I want to thank you for doing that for them, and I’ll tell you that people they won’t remember all of the hard work that you did in as much as they’ll remember that the few times where you stopped them and you spoke to them and you really gave them a genuine thanks for all of their hard work. People love it. People love it as do I. Make sure that you recognize your team.
Number #10:
Don’t quit. Don’t quit building your team and building your organizations. It ebbs and it flows and there will be times where building the organization will feel easy and there will be times where building the organization is going to feel hard and there will be times where you are going to be tempted to quit building it. Keep going. Keep going. Keep going. Keep going. You know there’s a saying “you are one recruit away from changing your organization.” “You are one recruit away from becoming wildly successful.” “You are one recruit away from changing their life and changing your life,” and the only way that you’re going to be able to do that is by not quitting. You’re gonna have to go through a lot in order to build the organization to the level in which you want it to grow to.
I know it. I’ve been there and my organization still as good as we are is not where I want it to be yet. I know what my vision is. You need to know what your vision is as well. So, don’t quit building. Keep building when it gets tough. Keep building when it’s easy. Keep building. Keep improving yourself so that it becomes easier to attract the quality of person that you want into your organization because just to remind you you can’t recruit above. You can recruit at your level. That’s what you can recruit at. So, number ten. Don’t quit.
Alright guys, thanks for reading this blog. I know what it’s like to build an organization. I know what it’s like to see an organization fall. I know what it’s like to start again from scratch and rebuild. I know what it’s like to recruit. I know what it’s like to go out there and talk and share your vision with people even though your vision doesn’t look anything like what it presently is. I know all of those things. I’ve been through all of those chapters and I got to tell you that it is one of the most rewarding things in the world to watch your organization roam.
To watch your organization thrive and when I talk about my organization I’m not only talking about my organization in the office I’m also talking about my organization at home. It’s very important that well you can’t really recruit on a regular basis for the organization at home but I can make sure that they understand how much I appreciate them and how much I love them, so I hope you enjoyed this blog. Comment below. If there’s anything else that you’d like to add that you feel like I may have missed. If there’s anything else that you’d like to rebut feel free to do that as well. If you think that there’s other people that could benefit from this blog by all means please share this content with anybody else that you think can win. I look forward to hearing about your success. I’ll see you guys soon.
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