The difference between success and failure is a great team.
When I first became an entrepreneur, in the year 2000, I felt that I could do everything on my own. I could make my own hours, determine my own success, and avoid answering to a boss. But as a one-man business, I had limited potential to grow. It might be fun, or interesting, or exciting to be on your own, but a one-person business can only grow so much. Ultimately, that first business of mine failed.
Now I’ve learned that the only way to build a company with great success and scale is to build a great team.
No matter how smart, talented, driven, or passionate you are, your success as an entrepreneur depends on your ability to build and inspire a team. A successful leader is one who can spur his or her team members to work well together toward a common vision and goals.
To inspire your team members, you’ll have to talk to them, of course. I hate meetings, but I love short (seven to 20-minute) hurdles to align and motivate the team. One effective way to begin or end a huddle is by sharing a quote. Here are a few quotes from well-known coaches, athletes, business leaders, and authors that will compel you and your team members to work well together:
- “Individual commitment to a group effort–that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”–Vince Lombardi
- Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable. -Kenyan Proverb
- A boat doesn’t go forward if each one is rowing their own way. Swahili Proverb
- “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” –Michael Jordan
- “Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” –Andrew Carnegie
- “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” –Helen Keller
- “Remember, teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability.” –Patrick Lencioni
- “I invite everyone to choose forgiveness rather than division, teamwork over personal ambition.”–Jean-Francois Cope
- “None of us is as smart as all of us.” –Ken Blanchard
- “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” –Henry Ford
- “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.”–Henry Ford
- “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” –Phil Jackson
- “Collaboration allows teachers to capture each other’s fund of collective intelligence.” –Mike Schmoker
- “It takes two flints to make a fire.” –-Louisa May Alcott
- “Unity is strength. . . when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.” –Mattie Stepanek
- “To me, teamwork is the beauty of our sport, where you have five acting as one. You become selfless.” –Mike Krzyzewski
- “The best teamwork comes from men who are working independently toward one goal in unison.”–James Cash Penney
- “To truly be successful you must of have a clear vision of what success means to you & then share that knowledge with others to grow a team ~bns~”―Bluenscottish
- “If two men on the same job agree all the time, then one is useless. If they disagree all the time, both are useless.” – Darryl F Zanuck
- “The greater the loyalty of a group toward the group, the greater is the motivation among the members to achieve the goals of the group, and the greater the probability that the group will achieve its goals.”―Rensis Likert
- “It’s as simple as this. When people don’t unload their opinions and feel like they’ve been listened to, they won’t really get on board.”―Patrick Lencioni,
- “Great teams do not hold back with one another. They are unafraid to air their dirty laundry. They admit their mistakes, their weaknesses, and their concerns without fear of reprisal.”― Patrick Lencioni,
- “Remember teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability.”
―Patrick Lencioni, - “Trust is knowing that when a team member does push you, they’re doing it because they care about the team.”
―Patrick Lencioni, - No individual can win a game by himself. –Pele
- It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed. Napoleon Hill
- People achieve more as a result of working with others than against them. -Dr. Allan Fromme
- Strategy is not a solo sport, even if you’re the CEO. Max McKeown
- A leader must inspire or his team will expire. -Orrin Woodward
- Teams share the burden and divide the grief. -Doug Smith
You can do better with your team than you can alone. Here’s to your–and your team’s success! What is your favorite quote to inspire your team?