But Will You Be There in the Morning? (More Than Just a One-Night Stand)

 

Clients hire me to help them get things done. Whether they have an idea they want to implement, a project to complete, a dream to become reality, or goals to achieve, I help them get clarity about what “it” is, develop strategies & action plans for getting “it” done, and hold them accountable to their actions. My corporate project & people management and non-profit leadership experiences over a quarter century provides the expertise from which I draw, and my own creativity blended with systems, processes , and tools gives me a unique combination of developing ideas and seeing that they get done. There’s one more key component to getting things done. People!

I have, and encourage my students and clients to develop, Idea MindTeams^©. These are people whose relationships we establish over time, before we need them, so that they’ll “be there in the morning” when we need them and who are “more than one-night stands” in our lives. They serve both our minds and our hearts, and some believe in us more than we sometimes believe in ourselves, however strong and self-confident we believe ourselves to be. I submit that without my Idea MindTeam^©, my impressive resume would be insufficient for getting the things done—and helping others to do the same—that get done. The Idea Success Smackdown! 30-Day challenge would not have succeeded in the way it did, and the IdeaThon program would not have gone from idea to “success” within six weeks were it not for my being able to call on members of my Idea MindTeam^© for the help, moral, emotional, and physical  support that I received. I serve as a member of my clients’ Idea MindTeams^© as I help them develop their own.

So, what’s this Idea MindTeam^© all about? As I already noted above, these are people whose relationships you develop over time who can support you morally, emotionally, and physically in your business or career, and life. Some of your Idea MindTeam^© are life-long relationships; others are one-time-only or fleeting. Others encompass the range in-between. I use the mnemonic “MINDTEAM” to identify the types of people to consider establishing on your Idea MindTeam^©. And I submit that you establish all of these types of relationships in your life mix because they serve you in different ways depending on their roles in your life.

M = Monogamous. This is the one person with whom you share intimacy both physically and emotionally and who is the primary relationship in your life. Your bond with them may be through marriage, life partnership, or otherwise. This is your “main squeeze” however you define this relationship.

I = Intimates. These are your close friends and positive relatives. Note the emphasis on “positive”. These are not the relatives who bring you down, exude negativity, or otherwise cause drama in your life.

N = Networks. These are people whom you determine to be within six degrees of separation of each other. These are the connectors, referral partners, and affiliate relationships you draw on for your business, career, and professional growth.

D = Dinner guests. You may interact with these people only once ever, or see them periodically in social settings over time. These people flit in and out of your life. They are ever-changing. They are also people with whom you can typically have conversations without worrying about long-term consequences.

T = Teachers. Your mentors, coaches, guides…and teachers fall in this category.

E = Electronic. Your social media “friends”, “likes”, “followers”, and other designations are in this category of relationships.

A = Associates. These are your colleagues, co-workers, and collaborators. They’re your joint venture partners. On the personal side of life they may be friends of your close friends, members of your faith-based environment with whom you interact regularly, your sorority or fraternity members, or volunteers at the non-profit where you also volunteer.

M = Masterminds. Napoleon Hill, in his book “Think and Grow Rich”, defines “the master mind” as “coordinating knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose”. Your master minds are your groups, Boards of Advisors (whether formal or informal), work teams, and other groupings that help you move towards a definite purpose. These groups may meet in person or virtually; regularly or only once.

As you can see, your Idea MindTeam^© is a well-rounded collection of individuals in your life who can meet your many needs in their own specific ways. Where you feel you have gaps in your relationships based on the above, consider seeking and building those relationships so that you have them when you need them to serve and support you. Yes, in life it’s not all about you. But in the context of this article and your Idea MindTeam^©, it is. Build your Idea MindTeam^© and you’ll know that you have relationships that will be there in the morning and who are more than one-night stands.

NOTE: Download your copy of the “MINDTEAM” poster HERE.