The older I get the more I recognize that success takes a team. Over the last few weeks I have seen how teamwork and leadership go hand in hand in multiple ways.

As a hockey mom, I have seen my share of team work, solid passes, and game winning goals.  I’ve also seen teams falter when one superstar tries to do it all alone.  The reality is, that in the end, strong TEAMS win.

“The only way we win is as a team.” ~  Harry Mahood, Coach of the Phoenix Polar Bears – the only Junior team in USA Hockey history to play in the National Championship Tournament NINE years straight. (Quite a feat for an Ice Hockey team from the desert!)

In May, CorePurpose published a great new book by Amilya Antonetti titled The Recipe: A fable for leaders and teams.  It is not our usual type of book or even our normal market – but the message was so important and timely in the current economic environment that I made the decision as publisher to give it a try – and I called my team together for help.  Everyone pitched in to bring the book to market faster than any other title we had ever published.  Graphics designers, editors, printers, our marketing team, our distributor (BookMasters), and our author worked around the clock to put together a little book with a BIG message.  And the end result was something we could all be very proud of.  Over 100 friends came out as we honored three great leaders: Monica Crowley (Journalism), Ken Colburn (Entrepreneurship), Lynn Tilton (Business) at a private media event sponsored by Innovators Warehouse, Shwaag,  and Barrington Printing. When we officially launched the following day at the Barnes and Noble at Lincoln Triangle in the heart of Manhattan, it was to a full house and we sold out every copy they had on hand!  (It did not hurt that we had an awesome team of leaders on our panel; at Barnes and Noble including Kevin Daum, Gloria Feldt, and Mike Micholwicz!)

Wonderful friends from across the country pitched in and continue to help  spread the word.  Kevin Daum, author of the hot new book ROAR made introductions to reviewers and friends in Manhattan, Kathy Partak flew out from California to help coordinate the media and save my sanity by coordinating a million details,  Kevin Desoto began leading our social  media strategy and even made the trek from Warwick, RI  to NYC to cover the launch events live.  (To see how teamwork can lead to freedom – watch Kevin’s Video about Lisa Ling and Euna Lee on his website – Amazing!)

Would you rather have a team of champions OR a championship team? ~Amilya Antonetti

The great thing about teamwork is that it is an ongoing process.  Another team that pitched in to help were our friends Eric Keosky-Smith and Michael Edwards founders of Shwaag.   To help bring attention to the NYC launch, they gave away an iPad with The Recipe on it in May and they are doing it again this week as we launch the West Coast media tour.  (To get your chance to get “shwaag’d” go to www.Shwaag.com and use invite code AMA2525.)

I wanted to give back and I asked 24 of my good friends to help me. ~ John Assaraf

Amilya’s friend John Assaraf one of the featured experts in the  blockbuster movie and book The Secret and the New York Times best selling author of  The Answer and Having It All was one of our first reviewers for The Recipe.  (A quote from his review is on the book’s cover.) John’s newest project is taking team work to a whole new level.  Together with 23 of his personal friends, he put together as free teleseminar series where each expert will share their secrets of success – twice a week for 12 weeks –  beginning June 15th. John named the program Success Manifestors since that is what each of these experts have demonstrated and will share.   It’s just one more example of what happens when you ask champions to come together as a team.  Everyone wins! (To take advantage of this opportunity, you need to register. For more information, click here.)

Like I shared in the beginning – success takes a team.

The great thing is… teammates are all around you.  You just need to ask for help occasionally, look for strong players, and as my kids will tell you – pass the puck!

Thanks for stopping by.  Stay tuned…

Joan Koerber-Walker

Technorati Tags: Joan Koerber-Walker,CorePurpose publishing,Amilya Antonetti,The Recipe A fable for leaders and teams,Kevin Daum,Roar,Shwaag,Gloria Feldt,Mike Michaolwicz,Lynn Tilton,John Assaraf,Success Manifestors,Ken Colburn,Monica Crowley,Barrington Printing,Innovators Warehouse,Kevin Desoto,phoenix polar bears

What’s the deal with a video about butterflies on a business blog?  Simply said, the butterfly is is thing of beauty and so are the right people in a great business.  It emerges from its cocoon, moves from place to place, does it’s duty, and fosters growth in the most inspiring of ways.  The same can be said when you have the right people in the right roles.

At least that’s what came to mind this morning as I watched this video from National Geographic about the simple butterfly.

We all need more butterflies in our businesses and in our lives.  Think of it like this:

The Butterfly is a creature that is committed to change.

Few creatures provide a better analogy for change than the butterfly as they move from stage to stage.  (You can see a great time lapse series here)   People also go through many stages.  It takes time for them to develop from an early stage to into voraciously absorbing the resources and knowledge around them.  Then its time to rest, use what they have consumed, and then emerge into something – or someone – pretty special.  It is that point that they spread their wings and fly. 

The  Butterfly moves from place to place enabling growth.

As a well developed butterfly spreads its wings, it moves from flower to flower, taking precious pollen with it.  This brings new growth, fresh blooms, and new colors to the world.  As a well developed person spreads their wings, they bring new businesses, new leadership, new opportunities, and new innovations. 

Butterflies like bees have a job to do. But Butterflies don’t sting.

Now you might say that we do not need the butterfly since we have the bee.  It too moves from flower to flower spreading growth.  The BIG difference is that butterflies never sting!  On the people side, I bet you’ve met both butterflies and bees.  The butterfly gets the job done with elegance and finesse.  The bee is awfully busy in getting the job done, but don’t cross it or it just might make you sorry.  That’s why we tend to squash bees and treasure butterflies.

Butterflies are a wonder to watch

A fully developed butterfly is a wonder to watch.  We can learn so much from them.  Butterflies, like people, must stretch their wings and explore new boundaries.  NASA even took butterflies with them into space in 2009.  The same is true of human butterflies.  If you give them time to develop, the resources they need to grow, and let them spread their wings, they will help your business garden grow and it’s a joy to watch them do it.

Thanks for stopping by.  Stay Tuned…

Joan Koerber-Walker

As business owners, we are always on the look out for opportunities.  But, too often, great opportunities pass us by because we are not ready for them.  Capturing a great opportunity and making the most of it takes a combination of three things – Awareness – Access – and Ability.  Like cogs in a machine, each plays a critical role in driving action forward.  Otherwise, as you are standing still, opportunities may pass you by.

AWARENESS

There is a reason AWARENESS forms the biggest cog in the opportunity process.  The world is  full of opportunities, but knowing which is the right one for you and your business requires a continual scanning of the marketplace.  Some opportunities are great for someone, but not necessarily great for you. Others may be hidden and require a bit of polishing  up before they are ready to be considered. But if you are not continually searching, scanning your markets, and aware of the changing trends, you have not got a chance.  Before you know it the opportunity has passed and you only see it when someone else takes advantage of it.

ACCESSS

As you become aware of new or current opportunities, the gear turns and triggers a need for ACCESS.  To capture the opportunity’s potential, the teeth bite in turning the next gear.  In the case of opportunity access, think of the teeth as the six key assets you will need to take advantage of the opportunity. In most cases these are:

1. The right talent to make things happen
2. The right resources to build up from
3. The right market to serve
4. The right partners to deliver through
5. The right processes to keep things rolling
6. The right funding and business partners to grease the wheels

Each of these assets are critical. If one is missing the wheels stop turning and the opportunity engine skips and stutters.

ABILITY

The final gear is that of your ABILITY to execute.  I spend a lot of my day speaking with business owners and other leaders.  Most, when faced with a challenge, can lay out their goals, their mission and their plans.  But when the gears jam up it is almost always due to a lack of execution.  One missed step or flaw can make the difference between success in making the most of an opportunity or the failure to do so.  When one missing critical process brings things to a grinding halt and the opportunity engine seizes up we tend to want to force it.  Yet as leaders, our job is not to take a crow bar to the the gears (that almost always makes matters worse) but to make adjustments or shift alignment so that things start running smoothly again.  For it is only when we are moving forward that we can keep abreast of our opportunities and capture them.

So don’t let your great opportunity pass you by.  Focus on the three A’s – Awareness, Access, and Ability.  When you do, you just might find that opportunity will not pass you by…instead it will come knocking at your door.

Thanks for stopping by.  Stay tuned…

Joan Koerber-Walker