The Power Of Teams

Today I want to explore another critical element of thought leadership that I found so inspiring in Rich Mulholland's recently-launched book, "Relentless Relevance".

Rich says, "You see, in this day and age, we need to achieve mastery in one domain but also become master-ish in others. There's a name for people who have these attributes. We refer to them as T-shaped. It's all about building your skill stack. They are master-ish in a range of things but have deep mastery in one. To be relevant today, we need to widen the top of the T more than we necessarily need to deepen its body. This is due to numerous factors such as adaptability, collaboration, and innovation. And finally, employability."

The thinking that Rich Mulholland unlocks as a futurist is that "in order to be exceptional, we need to go both deep and wide. We need to be curious beyond the edge of our comfort zones because embracing curiosity outside the edges is where the magic happens".

This quote, this extract from "Relentless Relevance" really made me think deeply about the T of teams. In my entire 26-year entrepreneurial journey, I have been passionate about growing people.

In Rich's book, which he writes in a wonderful conversational tone - it's as if you are having a coffee with him - he unpacks his remarkable mental agility and wisdom of experience through his journey of building The Missing Link and other companies.

When I thought about the T, I realized that my T was based entirely on the strength of my teams beneath me.

As a female entrepreneur in the construction sector for 26 years, I always credit all the awards we have won over the years to the teams that got us there. When I transitioned into the speaking, writing and coaching space, I took the lessons that I had learnt over my long journey in the construction sector into my journey of speaking and writing.

What I have realised, particularly in the past year of my four-year-long speaking journey, is that the strength of my horizontal T is predicated by the remarkable vision of my vertical team below. Brand strategy and content creation comprise parallel initiatives that extend the foundation of my growing evolution. By employing young, technically agile visionaries who fly with me, it is as if we fly in formation as a T, creating an ever-climbing spiral of influence.

See the diagram below of the Gradient of Influence:

I recently finished Dr. Benjamin Hardy and Dr. Dan Sullivan’s remarkable book “10x is easier than 2x”. I follow their thought leadership avidly, and in this book, they focus on non-linear thinking that allows for exponential growth, scaling, expansion, or impact.

In my speaking, writing and coaching company, “Soul Voice Journeys”, we are all about impact. T-shaped teams equate to exponential staircase climbing. You climb stairs more effectively when you harness the power of T-shaped teams. The leverage becomes an exponential graph that shows the gradient of influence and builds the authentic presence of trust.

I always notice leaders that credit their teams. Mark Sham is a prime example – at every event he always honors his teams in such a humble way. That is what makes him a T-shaped leader for me.

The world right now is all about influencing, but how do we influence in a positive and courageous way? In ways which are bridge-building and kind. Ways where we trade criticism for compassion and cruelty for kindness. Ways where we change the face of social media through speaking and writing by being voices of change.

What does T-shaped mastery mean for you?