Over the last few months I have had the pleasure of being a writer for WP Daily and it started to make me realize how important team work really is. Not only that, but the affect it is having on the blogging community.
I have found great respect for John Saddington and his entire team as he leads all of us here to be an influence to all bloggers. I am a photographer and videographer and I follow many photo and video blogs pretty religiously because I am always wanting to learn about what is new and want to have a voice in those communities.
I also have my personal blog where I post weekly about recent projects or reflections upon my experiences in my projects. I came to the conclusion that I want to some day be a leader and make a difference in these creative communities and hopefully influence someone else to do the same some day.
In order to do that, I need to build my own team by finding others that believe in me as well. Here are some thoughts on why and how I’m going to do this:
Team Building
There is no “i” in team, but their are two in “building” and I needed to become a leader to make this happen.
When it comes to leadership it’s not really about you anymore, but about creating a goal, completing that goal, and celebrating the success and influence it has on others. It takes a lot of sacrifice to build up a team and teach others everything you know and be a good listener.
I decided I didn’t want to find people for my team that were super knowledgable, but were people that trusted and had the willingness to learn. It’s easy to find wiz kids, but when you are giving responsibility to others to help influence a community, you need people you can trust above all else.
Knowledge can be learned, but trust must be earned. My first addition to my team was someone that I trusted with great personality and willingness to be a part of a team and grow along with me.
Constantly Learning
I know that this is only the beginning of something great. This also completely changes my personal blog into something of influence. That in itself is a great responsibility.
I know that mistakes may be made or promises may some day be broken, whether it is by me or some one one my team. That’s life. We are all imperfect people and we are constantly learning. Teams are no easy task. It is almost like raising a family. You need to care your teammates, support them, and care about how you are perceived by your community.
Every mistake is an opportunity to learn from to make your team stronger.
Setting Goals
Now that I have decided to make my blog less about me and more about being an influence on the photography and video community, I realized that I need to redefine what my website is all about.
What will we cover this year? What do we want to accomplish? How often should we complete and upload new tutorials? Who will be in charge of these posts and those posts? Who will conduct interviews? Should I let someone else edit and revise posts besides from me? Who else should I add to the team to lighten the load and create great content more often?
One thing to remember is to keep your vision and mission constant so that everyone’s voice is in line. Small steps and short term goals mixed with long term ambitions make for a perfect mix. Patience and determination are what keep me moving forward.
I am very excited to see where the website goes as we slowly make changes and inspire others along the way.
Tips for Building a Great Team
- Don’t be a boss, be a leader. Team members need someone to coach, teach, and inspire them, not just tell them what to do.
- Find people you trust. Trust is a value above all else. Knowledge can be learned, but trust has to be earned.
- Set small, short term goals. Do not overwhelm your team with stress and unrealistic expectations. Don’t forget to celebrate the little things!
- Have a vision and a mission. This keeps everyone on the same page. What do you want your team to represent and believe in?
- Have patience. A great team is not built overnight. It takes a long time to carve your team into something incredible.
Do you have any experiences in building a team for your blog?
Feel free to share them with us!
No Comments