Having a support team is crucial

Support team for ‘Team You’

Successful Olympic, Paralympic and other elite level athletes and sports people are usually quick to acknowledge the help and support of vital others without whom they couldn’t perform at such a high or consistently high level. Individuals have the support of others, teams have the support of others and individuals on teams have the support of others.

In business the idea of everyone having a support team is less common, less often talked about and less appreciated. However performance excellence is rarely a solo pursuit, and whether you’re an MD, a manager, a salesperson, and HR executive or a team member, having the right people around you to encourage, chivvy, listen, challenge, advise, feedback and support you can make the difference between being good and being great.

If you’re responsible for your performance (and by the way you are) do you have a support team and how well are you using them to help you get better? Are you tapping in to their knowledge and experience? Are you using them for a different perspective and ideas?

And have you people in your team who are not doing a great job to help you and who you would actually like to drop from Team You. People who are unhelpful, negative – who drain you, or give you misinformation and play games with you, that you are better off investing no time, energy or thought to.

Do you have any gaps in your team that you could seek to fill? Are there people who have provided roles for you in the past that may be missing? Do you need a mentor, coach or technical guru.

Finally, are there vital people in your support team that you’d like to thank, in your own way, and in a way that’s meaningful to them?