Who Do You Have On Your Team? Looking Beyond Your Direct Reports

Everyone will tell you that your Team is important, no one argues that.

However, do you have "enough" people on your team?

This is a question that is rarely asked and could become the difference between your success and failure as a Leader.

So many people attempt to go through life and business without the support that is needed to really get to their goals.

So, let's go through the support that you will need (outside of your direct reports) to truly reach high levels of success.

The Past

We have all had challenges stemming from our pasts.

Some have had dramatically worse histories than others.

However, we all need to address what has occurred in our past if we hope to move forward.

How this is accomplished will depend on the depth of what has occurred in your past.

If it is something you have worked through, and it doesn't consume major parts of your life, you may be able to have a good friend or Emotional Intelligence Coach help you through it.

However, if it is a deeper challenge, this may require a good Therapist, Counselor, or Psychologist who is trained to help you work through it.

The good news is that these services have become less stigmatized over the years, and access to these important services has become easier as well.

If you find yourself feeling "trapped" in anything from the past, I would HIGHLY recommend seeking out help in this area.

The Future

How are you going to get to where you want to be?

Often we know "where" we want to get to, but we struggle with ACTUALLY getting there.

This is because we are often limited by what is currently in our brains, which are also biased and filled with hidden thoughts that are setting us back.

This is true of EVERYONE, myself included (it's part of being human).

This is where the "Mastermind Principle" really comes in to help (a phrase coined by Napoleon Hill).

See, we are all limited by our own brains, but when two (or more) come together, it is almost like a "third" brain is created that allows both minds to accomplish more than they could individually do alone.

This is why it is SO important to get outside perspectives.

The highest level of help you could get here is a Coach.

There are a wide variety of Coaches, from a wide variety of industries.

Depending on what you need will depend on the type of Coach you are looking for.

For instance, if you wanted help with your Leadership, I would be a great resource to help you accomplish your goals.

Coaches act as a shortcut to help us get to our goals more quickly and more easily than we could ever hope to on our own.

Stress Repair

All of us feel various levels of Stress in our lives.

However, in recent times we are experiencing higher levels of Burnout than ANY previous point in history.

The reason this occurs is simple - we are lacking the necessary components to fix the damage from Stress that occurs.

For this, you will need specific types of bodily inputs to help you recover from the physical damage (aka Oxidative Stress) that occurs in the body.

Also, keep in mind that most "Wellness" practices only help "current" stresses, but don't actually do anything to fix Past Stress Damage.

I personally would recommend the Root Cause Protocol to aid in this respect and find a certified consultant (like myself) to help you go through the process.

I would also make sure that whoever you work with has a deep understanding of the scientific literature around this to help you.

Unfortunately, there are MANY people who have NO real understanding of what is happening in the body, who prey on the hardships of others and use cult-like tactics and placebo effects to make you "feel" better (temporarily) and get you hooked on a fantasy that doesn't exist (then blame you for not "doing it right" when the effects don't work in the long run and things get worse).

If they can't scientifically point out what they are doing, tell you NOT to trust any science, and immediately try to push you to buy things, there's a HIGH likelihood they are a con artist in disguise.

There's a lot of really good scientific literature if you are willing to actually go look for it to help you fix any stress damage that has been done over time.

Stress Reduction

The other important part that goes with the previous point is that you need someone to help you figure out how to reduce your current stresses.

The more current stresses you have, the harder it will be to "fix" the damage of the past because you are continuously adding more.

This is where your Wellness Practices will have a greater benefit.

In general, I would trust wellness practices that have a scientific basis over those that don't (again, due to the many placebo effects that can occur and plague this industry).

I would also focus on reducing stresses that don't require any work, before adding practices that will require work to maintain.

I recently came up with 40 ways to reduce stresses that require no work, so it is completely possible.

Some particular areas I would recommend looking at to help in this aspect would include:

? Breathing

For improvement, I would look at Oxygen Advantage (who I got my certification with). For resilience, I would look at Wim Hoff or Oxygen Advantage (both great for different reasons).

? Natural Movement

I have trained in, certified, and enjoyed both MovNat and Original Strength for this aspect. How we move directly impacts how well our brains function. Dr. Mannino has a great TEDx on how this occurs (he also happened to be the individual who graded my Magnum Opus with the Flow Research Collective on The Future Programs Leaders Will Need To Succeed).

? Diet

I think for the vast majority of people, Precision Nutrition is a great resource that is flexible, scientifically based, and doesn't fall for the biases of most companies in the industry (which is why I certified with them).

? HRV/Coherence Training

There are a few good tools and resources in this field depending on what you are trying to do - I recommend looking for both increasing HRV and increasing Coherence (I've certified with some companies, and utilize the tools of others with my clients to accomplish this).

? Accountability Program

When there is a difference between who you are and who you want to be, it creates a lot of Stress. I like to use?HEROIC?which is a company I use, have been certified with to their highest level, and invested in because I believe so much in their benefit.

Knowledge Needed

It is impossible for us to know EVERYTHING there is to know about every aspect of life.

Sometimes, we need new knowledge from sources outside of ourselves and our Team to aid us.

This is where Teachers, Mentors, and Consultants become extremely beneficial.

There is one specific key here that you need to pay attention to in order to make it successful.

You want to make sure that whoever aids you with this is creating a Cultivation Program and not a Modularity Program.

A large part of the reason "Leadership Development" COMPLETELY Fails 80% of the time (with no number existing on a true "success" rate) is almost all programs are Modular in design.

This fact has made a lot of people rich, without getting real, long-term results for clients.

Cultivation is the Key to successfully getting the Knowledge we all need to succeed at higher levels.

Family (Not Necessarily By Blood)

So often in business, we become obsessed with the "work", but we forget about everything "outside" of work.

One of the most important aspects of our lives should be those we consider Family.

Now, not all "Family" is blood-related.

"Family" consists of those who are the most important people to us in our lives, regardless of blood relations.

This of course can include those directly related to us, such as parents, children, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and so forth.

However, it is just as relevant to our romantic relationships, our friends, our social groups, and perhaps even our neighbors.

This list will look different for everyone but is a huge aspect of importance to our Psychophysiology that we need to be diligent in taking care of.

Bonus: Faith

Not everyone will agree on this aspect, and that is alright, but I find that in general, having a Faith background is extremely beneficial to people's Psychophysiology.

There is something about having Faith that leaves people with Hope in a world that often feels Hopeless.

Of course, Faith also tends to create a lot of questions, but often it also answers many of the most difficult questions that we face.

I find that most Faith traditions are pointing toward something similar, and so often are helpful, at least to some degree.

I also find that some traditions seem to work better with how our Psychophysiology functions than others, but this is an extremely personal pursuit that we each must work on in our own ways.

If you feel called to pursue a Path, then I would recommend following it to see where it may lead you - often in the pursuit of this Path, there are many benefits we gain in our lives.