How to build your board & leadership team

How to Build Your Board & Leadership Team
by Jim Cathcart, founder, 101 Leaders Institute
Chairman, Cathcart Institute,Inc.

Until you multiply yourself through others you are not using all your strength.
Our potential lies not only within us, but also within all who share our goals and concerns and those who care about us.

To build your leadership team there are several approaches to take:
1. Determine who is already on your team.
Look at your email log, your phone call log, your daily calendar, your checkbook register and other "tracks" of where you've been and who you have communicated with recently. Many of these folks are in your corner already. Note who they are.
2. Identify the people you want on your team.
Write down the names of the individuals who, in a perfect world, would be aligned with you. Set goals to connect with them and lead them to your cause over time. Consider this a multi-year project, "sooner or later I'm going to get you."
3. Determine the expertise level of your current team.
What level of expertise is on your team now? What would you like it to be?
Plan to train, develop, coach and support your team members so that they advance to the next levels of their potential. This will make them greater assets for you.
4. Assess the mix of talent and perspectives on your team.
Does everyone bring the same talent to the team? If so, go shopping for new and different abilities to recruit to your cause. Get a balanced team of varying viewpoints, skills and connections.
5. Grow tomorrow's leaders like you'd grow a garden.
Tend your relationships like plants; daily attention, adding nutrients, grooming them for growth. Think of every customer, supporter, buddy, vendor and colleague as a potential leader for your team. Nurture them over time to become more involved, more committed and more interested in your cause. All relationships are assets and all relationships have a future.
6. Make sure each meeting, bulletin, email broadcast, and phone conference is productive and interesting. Remember, there must be some payoff to them for helping you. Make your meetings fun and useful. Don't waste time and don't be boring.
7. Find out what they would like.
Study each individual's interests, values and goals. Help them get to where they'd like to go. Make the service a two-way street. You help them ge what they want and they open doors to what you want.

Copyright 2006 Jim Cathcart
www.cathcart.com
www.101Leaders.com