Happy Birthday, Team Builder!
January 27 is what I consider to be Team Builder Recruiting’s official birthday. The business plan was being worked on for a few months in advance, but January 27, 2016, is when we got our very first signed contract to work on a recruitment search.
The TBR journey took twists and turns that I could never have foreseen. Some lessons came easy, some came hard. But if I could go back and time, here are a few things I would tell myself:
Surround yourself with people “bigger” than you are. Make sure you spend time with people who know more, accomplish more, do more, dream more, and see more than you do. It will make you feel small, and that’s a good thing. You’ll be humbled, and you’ll learn a lot.
Set boundaries. Don’t let work infringe on family time. You are not an ER doctor. No one will die on an operating table because you took time away. The emails can wait until Monday morning. That call can go to voicemail. Family first – always!
Your life will never be the same. And you won’t want it to be. You’ll experience higher highs and lower lows, and some days the responsibilities you have taken on will seem unbearably heavy. You will cry. You will laugh. You will let out giant cheers. But all of it will shape you and sharpen you.
Pray for wisdom. If you go before God with a sincere and humble heart and ask for wisdom, he’ll provide it. Whether it be a book you read or an article that pops into your inbox or a session with a business coach or a conversation with a friend or an “ah-ha moment” while you are in the shower, answers will come. Ask. Open your heart. Listen closely.
You’ll win some and lose some. Sometimes you will lose big. You’ll fall flat on your face in the mud. GET UP. Dust yourself off. Apologize if you need to. Learn something. Push forward. Change direction if it makes sense to do so. Let go of your perfectionist tendencies and be okay with a job well done, even if it is not perfect. And celebrate those wins with your team!
Delegate. Don’t wait until you are at your breaking point to hand off a responsibility. Your team is capable and ready for challenges if you’ll just let go. You’ll be surprised at how often they are actually better at a task than you ever were!
Five years into this journey, and I thank God for the blessing of my team, my family, my friends, my clients, and my business associates that have supported, encouraged, corrected, mentored, and coached me along the way. We look forward to many more years of “positively impacting lives and communities by serving growing businesses.”