Build Success by Forming Competent Teams

Tax Relief Strategy- Build Success by Forming Competent Teams

The Biggest business mistake I made as a young entrepreneur was to try to do it all and figure it all out on my own.  It was my nature, back then, to be sort of a rebel.  I was competitive, so my rebellious nature served me well, especially in sports.  Perseverance, determination and a good measure of toughness and strength allowed me to excel as a young athlete.  However, as one of my mentors later observed – for most people, their greatest strength can turn into their biggest weakness.  In many ways, that was true for me in my situation.

In law school, my colleagues were trying to get the attention of the big law firms and to land a “great job”.  I was committed to starting my own firm – which I did immediately upon graduating and passing the bar exam. 
I was bold and that is a definite valuable asset in business. But at times, I think I had more guts than smarts and my boldness could get me into troubled waters. 

What happened for me is that even with my early mentors, I was brazen and impatient.  If I didn’t like what they had suggested. I’d storm off and do things my own way, the way I wanted and thought it should be done. I felt like they just didn’t understand. Before long, I found myself without any mentors.  That’s what happens if you think you know it all.

I began to read books and listen to various audio programs. I was searching. I knew that something was amiss, but I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what it was.

Then one morning it all came together and dawned on me.  As I took the long walk from the front door of my office to the mail box it hit me.  I stood there on Main Street and looked to the west.  As I did I recalled the earlier conversations with my colleagues about how proud they were for how long and hard they had worked and the accomplishments they made. Then, I looked east and recalled similar conversations I had with the attorneys whose offices were in that general direction. 

I Had A Realization!

If I continued on the path I was on, I’d wind up in the same shape they were in.  Older, overworked, tired, spending more time telling war stories than planning an exciting future.  And it was in that moment that I vowed to find a better way.

I realized that I needed help.  If I continued to do it on my own and my terms, I would continue to get the same, now unacceptable, results.  I had to find others who had found a better way – one that was perhaps similar to what I had in mind, and ask them for direction or help.

In short, the remedy was to become coachable.

I spent the next five years re-tooling.  I went to every seminar I could and I listened intently to the successful people that spoke at them.  And I started to see a pattern.  Many of their stories were similar in that they too had coaches and mentors.  The lesson I was learning is that no matter how bright or gifted you are there are always areas where you can learn more and where you can always improve in some way. 

The single most important thing you can do is to seek out Mentors and Coaches and follow their wonderful advice. I am always working with at least one coach and one mentor.