Keys to Successful Business and Life
Success Key #6: Think "Team" Rather than "Self-Made Man"

So we all have strengths and weaknesses. None of us are perfect. To be successful in life, we've got to find a team of people, so that we can spend our time doing what we're good at, leaving the tasks we hate to others who love those tasks. 

Gallup's massive survey found that people's passions and talents vary considerably. In other words, there aren't just a few cool jobs that everybody wants, while the rest of us get stuck doing the boring stuff. Some people love leading the company. Others love being secretaries, or room cleaners, or accountants. (1) After you find your strengths, gather people around you who are strong at the tasks you hate. Finding that team is critical to your success.

I always thought of small-time real estate investing as an individual sport. You find a bargain property, buy it,  fix it, and sell it. Sounds like a job one person can handle. 

But when Gary Keller interviewed 100 successful real estate investors, he was surprised by an unexpected insight.  

"...again and again, throughout our research, investors referred to all the people who helped them succeed. They had relationships with people who sent them opportunities, mentored them, helped them buy and maintain their properties, and in many cases provided services that enabled them to do more while spending less time and effort." (2)

Keller concluded that building a quality team is one of the big keys to successful real estate investing. 

This seems to apply to most fields. In sports, coaches preach "the team" over "the individual." In movie making...well...next time you watch a movie, sit through the credits at the end. You'll find not only directors and actors, but caterers, writers, editors, travel agents, assistants, grips (whatever a grip is!), and a host of others. Musicians need other instrumentalists, travel specialists, a reliable stage crew, and a talented recording company with an effective sales team. 

The bottom line? It takes a winning team to make you successful. Find that winning team. 

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!...A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."  (4)

Today's Tips:

• To truly use your strengths, what types of people do you need working around you?

• How can you go about finding those people? 

• Since other people will likely be critical to your success, meet new people every day and be nice to the friends that you've got. You never know when you might need each other. 

End Notes

1) Buckingham and Clifton, Now, Discover Your Strengths, p. 6. See also Buckingham's earlier book for management: First, Break All the Rules."
2) Gary Keller, with Dave Jenks and Jay Papasan, The Millionaire Real Estate Investor, pp. 30, 31.