If you have ever played any team sport then you will be fully aware of the benefits of teamwork. Teamwork is an essential component

Teamwork to make the dream work

of any-one’s success whether it be on the playing field, in business or in relationships. It really does take team work to make the dream work. When working with a team you always have someone on your side, you have other strengths you can use and weaknesses you can overcome and your commitment levels will be much higher as you have someone else relying on you.

Let’s first define teamwork. YourDictionary defines teamwork as the actions of individuals, brought together for a common purpose or goal, which subordinate the needs of the individual to the needs of the group. In essence, each person on the team puts aside his or her individual needs to work towards the larger group objective. The interactions among the members and the work they complete is called teamwork.

Here lies the power and value of teamwork and is where the saying “There is no ‘i’ in team” comes from. There’s real power in having  a unified team working towards a common goal or purpose. Whenever we set out to achieve anything in life there are always going to be wins, losses and moments when you feel the hurdles are just too great and you just can’t go on anymore, . If you are working on your own, your more likely to quit. It’s just too easy to do so. When you win, there’s no one to share in your triumph and there’s no one there to encourage you and pick you up through your losses. The losses are easier and the victories are sweeter when you work as a team.

The importance of teamwork also lies in the ability to mastermind with others. Napoleon Hill talks about how this is the most important factor of success:

The  cooperative alliance between 3 or more people working for the attainment of a definite purpose has been the basis for nearly every great fortune made.

Everyone has their own particular strengths and weaknesses and their particular way of viewing and creating. Relying on just yourself to foster your growth and creativity is really going to limit your success. Jean Paul Getty says

I would rather earn 1% off a 100 people’s efforts than 100% of my own efforts.

When you work as part of a team there will always be someone you can rely on who has strengths in areas where you have a big weakness. You will also be able to overpower someone else’s weakness with your strength. You will therefore always have a strong powerful team working together to attain your common goal or purpose, plugging up all the weak holes. On Team Makepeace, Craig is the details person, whereas I am the big picture person. What a great team we make then. A big picture person can’t put the details together to make it happen. Craig is great at doing this. Each of our strengths override the other’s weakness.

Working as part of a team forces you to bring a higher level of commitment to what you are doing. You have to because the team’s success is dependent on you showing up and what you bring to the common purpose. Craig played professional rugby for several years. If he didn’t show up for training he would be on the bench for the game as he couldn’t benefit the team. He wouldn’t know the plays they had practiced and would have missed building the essential team unity. Even though his individual skills brought incredible value to the team, these still remained subordinate to the needs of the team.  There is no ‘i’ in team. You have a part to play in the eventual success of the team’s goal. If you don’t show up or do your part you let down the team.

Craig and I understand the value, importance and benefits of teamwork having played sport for many years.  ‘It takes teamwork to make the dream work’ has always been the motto of our marriage. And that is why our marriage is so happy and successful; we are a unified team, working toward the same goal. We know how to work as a team and our results have been exceptional because of it. Team Makepeace is building our own global team of successful entrepreneurs. On our team you will always have someone to encourage and motivate you, someone to mastermind with and someone to hold you accountable to the achievement of your goals. Our success is dependent on yours and yours is dependent on ours. It really does take teamwork to make the dream work.

Vilfredo Pareto, an Italian economist , observed that 20% of the people in Italy had 80% of the wealth and so was formed the concept of the Pareto principle or the 80 20 rule. You can apply this rule to any aspect of your personal or business life. The 80 2o rule is a rule that states 20% of the people do 80% of the work and are rewarded as such. Whereas 80% of the population receive 20% of the world’s wealth as a result of their inability to make decisions and take actions that will launch themselves into the top 20%

How and why does this happen? 20% of people receive 80% of the wealth because they put up their hand to accept it, no matter what, and in return provide service and value to others.

What are the differences between an 80%  and 20% thinker?

Problem Versus Opportunity

80% thinkers see everything as being a problem. If they even take time to remove themselves from the comfy couch to think of a unique and creative idea they will see all the reasons why it won’t work and how life is too unfair to them to allow it to work. An 80% thinker often says “It’s too expensive”,  “I don’t have enough time”,  “I don’t know how to do it, nothing ever works for me.”  “I tried it and they said no.” or “It’s just too hard!”

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A 20% thinker sees everything as an opportunity. Behind every obstacle lies the opportunity to learn something new, refine your skills and grow. 20 thinkers see how the problem can be solved and create new ways to achieve this.

Michael Jordan was cut from his basketball team. An 80% thinker would instantly have quit and looked for something else to do. Jordan saw this as an opportunity for him to refine his skills. It made him so mad, that he became so determined to be the best so this would never happen again. His failure inspired him to become one of the greatest athletes of all time and reach the pinnacle of the top 20%.

Money is a Limiting Factor to growth versus Money is  a Leverage for Growth

An 80 thinker allows money to determine their choices in life. They first look at the price of something and allow that to make their decision and stop their progression forward. A 20% thinker views money as a tool to increase their abundance and lifestyle. They first look at the value that will be received upon making the investment and then use that as a decision whether to use money as a leverage for growth.
An 80% person will see the price of a business at being $3,000, will scream daylight robbery and walk away. A 20% thinker will see that an investment of $3,000 will bring in monthly residual income that will grow every month that they grow their business and so will seize the opportunity. The price will never be the determining factor.

Comfort Zone and Work Harder versus Purpose  Sacrifice and Work Smarter

An 80% thinker has no defined purpose. They don’t know what it is they want to achieve and why. They don’t take the time to ask the right questions and find the right answers. A 20% thinker is connected to their purpose and is laser focused on achieving their goals.

In order to reach their goals a 20% thinker is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve them. They will make sacrifices. They will stay up late, work on weekends, take risks, give up TV and all tasks that do not serve their ultimate 20% purpose. An 80% thinker refuses to give up their ‘time’ or anything that requires getting a little uncomfortable. A 20% works smarter, by taking advantage of available resources,opportunities and leverage. An 80% works harder, usually by way of 2 or 3 jobs to make ends meet.

Inactive Fear Verses Courageous Action

A 20% thinker takes action. They get started on their attainment of their dreams and follow a blueprint of success to get there. 80% of people never start and this is why they fail and remain in the 80% of the population who work harder for only 20% of the world’s abundance. They never even start! 20 thinkers Just Do It!

How can you move from  the 80% group to the 20%

1  Recognize that there is such a distinction
2. Make a decision to live your purpose, make a difference and achieve incredible rewards as a result
3. Be willing to work smart and make sacrifices
4. Take action by starting at least and stepping into the 20% zone.
5.Follow those who are in the 20%, and allow them to mentor you to success. Learn all you can and surround yourself with positive and inspiring people.

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To be a leader of others you first must be a leader of yourself. True leaders are brave enough to stand at the front of their lives. They are not prepared to sit back and just watch the world go by: they want to be that world going by. You need to lead yourself to your desired outcome. This means getting out of your comfort zone, putting yourself out in the action and striding purposefully forward.

A leader expects to win. They expect success of themselves and of others. True leaders play Full Out! They follow Principles 1-4 confidently and consistently and know that they are guaranteed results. Every step they take is one that will move them in the direction of their goals.

You don’t have to already have a team of people in order to lead. When you start leading yourself and start ‘being’ a leader you will find that soon enough a team of people will be following you. After all, people only want to follow someone who is going somewhere. Your objective then is to bring out the best in them. You are willing to pay the price of success and so you expect others to pay the same price of success. Therefore you will be cultivating an expectation of their leadership.

A true leader is one who walks their own path and maintains that path through faith, courage and perseverance. Their eyes are fixed firmly on the goal ahead of them. They do not look back to see what the herd are doing behind them and their path is not blocked by anyone else in front of them.  A true leader is doing what the herd are too scared to do. Find any successful person and you’ll find a person who carved their own path. They did it their way and dared to do more than the average, to stick their neck out, to take the risks and be the leader of themselves first.

When becoming a leader the most important quality you can ever develop that will enhance every part of your life and help you become a leader, is the value of integrity. Integrity is the core value of a successful and happy life. Having integrity means being totally honest and truthful in every part of your life. A true leader makes a commitment to become a totally honest person and in doing so ensures that they will be doing more to create success and happiness in their life.

A person of high integrity always carries out the highest quality of work in everything they do. They are totally honest with themselves and strive to excellence on every occasion. They realize everything they do is a statement about who they are as a person. A person of high integrity leads their own life. They live on purpose and in doing so inspire others to do the same.

As you act with integrity in everything you do, you will find that every part of your life will improve. You will begin to attract the best people and situations into your life. You will become an outstanding person as well as a success in everything you do. You attract into your life who and what you are being. If you are being a leader you will then attract leaders.

Whatever it is you want to achieve in your life you need to ask yourself ‘What do I have to do to play full out?’ Do you need to invest at the highest level of your business so that you can be rewarded at the highest level? Do you need to volunteer to run the meetings, so your worth in your company grows and alongside that the roles you play?

Being a leader means figuring it out and knowing for yourself. It means playing full out, having integrity, being the best you can be and expecting the same of all those who cross your path.

If you are looking to join a strong leadership team, we are looking for leaders to join us. We are leaders of our own life and we inspire others to do the same. We’ve always walked our own path ahead of the herd. We can show you how. Find out more about how we inspire others , you’ll see we make things happen, fill out your details in the form and we’ll get back to you.