“Beam me up Scotty” was a popular culture catch phrase associated with Captain Kirk when he needed to be transported back to the Star-ship Enterprise.
If you have never followed Star Trek that is ok, my play on that phrase of Team Me Up Scotty is in reference to getting a team around you.
Why is a team so important?
“If you have a good team around you then you can go to the moon, you can pretty much do anything” Stewart Whicker
I watched a speech being given by a famous American entertainer Don Lane (now since deceased, 2009) and he said something that has stuck with me ever since.
He was giving an acceptance speech at a television awards night and he said something like “you know many of you young people out there in the audience tonight are just starting out, you have the world at your feet.
I want to tell you that if you try to do it alone you will fail, getting to the top takes a team a great team. Surround yourself with great people and never be shy or too proud to ask for help”.
This came from a man that was in his late seventies and it is something that has stuck in my head ever since.
When I was younger I was too proud to ask for help and did not understand the power of having a team around me, I tried to do everything myself and it held me back for many years.
What is a team?
A team supports in ways that makes the path to success so much easier, a team helps you push past your own limitations, a team gets things done more efficiently and a team encourages you when things are getting a little tough.
The team you want to surround yourself with is a complimentary team, people that can do the things you struggle with, surround yourself with motivated like-minded people that understand how important a team is.
This part is critical, do not surround yourself with people that drag you down, seek out people that want to help lift you up to their level.
If you get the wrong people on your team, you will go backwards and fail.
A great quote from Jim Collins book GOOD TO GREAT was “Get the wrong people off the bus and get the right people on it” That quote is assuming you’re driving the bus.
I have been trying for years to get the right people on the bus; I have made mistakes and trusted people that turned out to be the wrong people on my bus, you will do the same.
Recognise quickly if they are dragging you down or lifting you up, if they are dragging you down then do what true leaders do and get them off your bus.
I have found that when you are open and honest and are not afraid or too proud to ask for help, there are many people that would love to be on your team/bus and help you get to the moon.
One more last thought, it was Scotty`s expertise as an engineer that saved Captain Kirk many times by beaming him up, without his team he probably would be stuck on a lonely planet somewhere.
Stewart Whicker
Head Coach/Program Director
Expert Racquet Academy