From Loner to Leader

Leadership Starts at the Bottom

If you're looking for ways to improve your small business, team building is a great place to start. By investing in your team, you can create a more cohesive and productive work environment that will benefit your business in the long run.

However, teams tend to need a leader. How do you discover the team members who have those leadership qualities?

Here’s a short children's book story about a guy we will call Sylvan Kills (what a stupid name. LOL!)

Sylvan had always been a bit of a loner. He preferred to work on his own and he didn't really enjoy interacting with other people. But when he was promoted to team leader, he knew that he had to change his ways.

At first, it was tough. Sylvan didn't know how to motivate his team or how to get them to work together. But he slowly started to learn. He started to realize that he enjoyed working with other people and that he was good at it.

As Sylvan became more comfortable in his role as team leader, he started to find his passion for work. He realized that he loved helping his team succeed and that he was good at it. He also realized that he enjoyed the challenge of coming up with new ideas and strategies.

Sylvan’s story is a reminder that we can all find our passion for work, even if we don't think we have it. Sometimes, all it takes is a change in perspective or a new challenge to help us find what we're good at and what we enjoy.

Yes…Sylvan is me.

I learned how to be a leader by being faced with a challenge that required me to step up. This allowed me to understand that people are amazing, and that I love working with a team! Prior to that, nobody would have thought of me as a leader.

My point is that many of the best leaders will present themselves, and those skills can come from the most unlikely people. Stay openminded!

The Importance of Team Building

Teamwork is essential for any small business to succeed. When team members work together effectively, they can achieve great things. However, creating a cohesive and productive team can be challenging. That's where team building comes in.

Team building is a process that helps team members get to know each other better, develop trust, and learn how to work together effectively. There are many different team building activities and exercises that can be used, and the best approach will vary depending on the specific team and the goals of the business.

Some of the most popular team building activities include:

• Icebreakers. Icebreakers are designed to help team members get to know each other better. They can be simple activities like name games or more complex exercises like trust falls.
• Team challenges. Team challenges are activities that require team members to work together to achieve a common goal. They can be physical challenges like obstacle courses or more mental challenges like puzzles.
• Social events. Social events are a great way for team members to get to know each other outside of work. They can be anything from happy hours to company picnics.

Whatever activities you choose, the goal of team building is to help your team members become more effective and productive. When team members know and trust each other, they are more likely to communicate effectively, share ideas, and support each other. This can lead to better decision-making, increased innovation, and improved customer service.

In addition to the benefits for the team as a whole, team building can also have a positive impact on individual team members. For example, team building can help team members:

• Develop new skills. Team building activities can provide team members with the opportunity to learn new skills that they can use in their work.
• Build confidence. Team building can help team members build confidence in their abilities and in the abilities of their team members.
• Feel more connected to the company. Team building can help team members feel more connected to the company and to their team members. This can lead to increased job satisfaction and decreased turnover.

Sometimes we think that these games and challenges are silly. Well, they are. But it’s not about looking sophisticated or professional.?It’s about breaking down communication walls and creating an environment where your team can thrive.

It’s about forming lasting relationships within your organization so that everyone can grow together, instead of drifting apart.

Until next time, much love to you all. -Sylvan