Building the dream team

When I was 34, I went back to college to study innovation and entrepreneurship at UCD.

Building the dream team

When I was 34, I went back to college to study innovation and entrepreneurship at UCD. 

One of the lectures was given by an experienced and successful entrepreneur , he had built a big tech company and exited after 5 years, securing financial freedom for himself and his family – how inspiring, I thought. Each week he told us his amazing story, how it started, how he raised capital, how he built his team and how he achieved his ultimate dream, his payday win. 

What stayed with me, was how much he expressed his gratitude for his team, and how important they were to him and the mission. Without the team you have no dream he said. Building a passionate and experienced team is fundamental in delivering your great vision and mission. Hire people better than you to do the jobs you can’t do, collaborate on projects, ask for advice, socialise with your team and set them up to win, when you win. 

A good team is a huge asset to the company, it leverages the company’s overall value, and justifies the ambition of a company’s vision to succeed and deliver as a strong force. 

As I write this we are in the process of interviewing for our Customer Happiness Manager, a key role on our growing team. This person needs to really care about the customer and have huge empathy towards them. Building a Dream Team is all about People humans. Living, breathing, emotional and intelligent people are not resources. They are not a part of machinery. They are humans. Do companies really build great teams? No. People build great teams and these teams are made up of human beings. To build a dream team you have to start with people first. So how do you attract the right people? 

Values 

Their values and our values. Our business is so much more than spandex and nylon we are invested in our community, our customer and we are passionate about how they feel when they experience Peachylean. If their values are aligned with ours we know they will be a great fit for the role. This mentality also aligns with the investors you bring into your business, if they do not share your values you will find it difficult to sell your vision, be sure to pick the right investors for your business. 

Culture

It is also fair to say that aligned values establishes a great culture. A great culture enables success, builds team fabric and attracts more great talent. If you are not conscious about what culture you want to build, culture will happen. Culture by Default or Culture by Design? That is the choice every business leader has to make.

Inspiration and Gratitude

One of our main values at peachylean is authenticity. So as we grow and manage teams we pride ourselves in thanking everyone for what they do and being fully authentic when appreciating their work. We thank often. We inspire the team by owning our failures and celebrating our wins, we listen and help to improve the work processes and rituals as requested. Listen intently and empower your team. 

Diversity

A diverse team is a more efficient, more creative, more successful, more profitable team. It means, as a leader, recognising your own biases and privileges. As a female founder and female led team we are working on growing a diverse, effective and balanced team. We need big picture strategists, alongside detail-oriented analysts, extroverts and introverts, organizational wizards backing up creative wildcards. However, more than anything we need people you can mobilize, people whose attitude, energy and values can engage with our vision.

Gratitude

Say thank you, say it often, with authenticity and pride. People buy from people and without people you cannot sell to people. Love your people, your Dream Team. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sharon Keegan
Sharon Keegan
RELATED ARTICLES

Share via
Copy link