People to Have on Your Team by Meggin McIntosh, PhD

It takes a village to raise a child and apparently, it takes a village (a team) for most professionals in today’s world to function in a peacefully productive way. Consider which of the following people you need to get lined up for your team – and help you clients know that they need this team, too.

1. Significant other. Do you have a significant other and if so, is he/she a part of your team?
2. Accountant. Maybe you only need this person for a few hours a year, but it’s worth knowing you have one on your team.
3. Legal advisor. If you had to call an attorney, do you have one on your team or would you be frantically hunting through the yellow pages?
4. Coach. Hire a coach. This person is always in your corner and will push and challenge you in ways that you can’t push and challenge yourself.  (Hmmm…does this sound familiar?  Yes, coaches need coaches.)
5. MasterMind group or accountability partners. Do you have one or two trusted people with whom you can think great thoughts, plan big dreams, explore fabulous ideas?
6. Friend(s). You don’t need thousands, but you need at least one real friend on your team.
7. Assistant or virtual assistant. For even a few hours each week or month, is there an assistant you can call on to come to your aid (either in person or “virtually”)?
8. Someone you can call on quickly for work-related items. In a crunch, you have someone you can depend on for answers, to help, to be a listener, or whatever else you might need.
9. Someone you can call on quickly for family-related issues. Whatever family issues you are part of (parent, child, caregiver, pet owner, or all of these), do you have a person who can lend a hand, an ear, or a shoulder when you need it? In some cases you should pay for this assistance. Your helper will be more likely to say “yes” in the future if s/he was paid last time you needed help.
10. Computer guru. In today’s world, if your computer hardware or software isn’t working, you are in big, big trouble. You need to have someone (a professional) on your team. It’s worth what you pay to have someone who is ready, willing, and able to help in a crisis (be it a crisis or a CRISIS).

Just consider adding one of these that you currently don’t have, and see the difference it makes – in your productivity and peace of mind (which is essential if you’re going to be productive and able to help your coaching clients).

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