FIND YOUR SPOT

Eleanor Becker
Sep 10, 2018
8 min read

Updated: Apr 18, 2021

SUCCESSFUL TEAMS Part I

I was young and eager to get to work in my first position out of college, after landing my dream job. I assumed all the teachers in our department would become trusted comrades as one happy family reaching lofty goals together.

One of them was an older lady, the guru in our profession, someone I respected greatly. She was exceptionally friendly, offering her support and assistance whenever I needed help. I was in my element with a loyal team exactly how I envisioned it.

To my first and greatest disappointment in the world of adults, I found out she spread the bizarre conspiracy around the faculty that all I wanted was her position. “Why?” I wondered as I had my own!

As long as she didn’t voice her frustrations to my face, I decided to live as if it didn’t exist. It was only by God’s grace I enjoyed a successful tenure in that position until my knight in shining armor came riding into my life, married me, and eventually moved us away.

I was stunned, too young to understand what was going on, concluding I had to question other’s motivations and not trust easily in the future.

What I thought was a team turned out merely a group of individuals watching out for their own good.

I am a team junky, though, I can’t help it, so have found it rewarding to spend a lifetime building teams for ministries, outreach programs, churches we planted, and those we served. Gathering hundreds and thousands of people for weekly and annual events required building teams and platforms for everyone to bring his or her gifts and skills to the table while reaching the set goals. It provided valuable lessons in navigating teams and dreams successfully.

Teams are the most magnificent machines in the world, yet goodness does not automatically happen.

Mindfulness about what makes the team successful diminishes time wasted and painful disappointment, leading to wise decisions and greater fulfillment.

How healthy is your tribe?

Are you on the right team?

How do you know when and how to make changes?

The SEVEN SECRETS in this series provide an overview of elements crucial to healthy teams and dreams, with practical insight and help.

CONSIDER YOUR SPOT

Secret #1

Your spot refers to your career role, family responsibilities, and personal connections with your world—your unique sphere of influence where others depend on you to bring value to the table.

The first secret to any successful TEAM or DREAM is the right people in the right spots.

TEAMERS

Being part of an existing team is like running a marathon. You start out almost lost in the team, complying with all the rules the same as everyone else. As the race progresses, the cream rises to the top with one winner at the end of the race. Team members set themselves apart only after identifying with the team, complying with the rules, and moving up the ranks as higher spots open up.

DREAMERS

Being a dreamer is similar to leading an expedition or safari in the jungle. One person explores and leads. He or she starts out alone without an existing team or rules to secure a win. There may be president, yet the whole premise of realizing a dream is that it is new to the dreamer who finds and fills a spot that doesn’t yet exist. It is a process of building as opposed to arriving, which requires ongoing discovering, creating, populating and managing multiple spots.

TEAM SPOTS

Do you have the right people in the right spots for your team?

This is not a given. People sit in odd spots every day because “it’s always been that way” or spots are “grandfathered in” under some prior or poor agreement. Team spots:

Have no room for lone rangers.

There is hardly anything more detrimental to the health of a team than a divided vision. Every existing team already has a defined vision as the blueprint for goals, requiring teamwork to bring to pass. Roles are already defined, at least for the current game plan, needing everyone to be on board as one. A healthy team has ample room for creativity and advancement, however. Team members earn the privilege to contribute input for the good of the team by:

- submitting to the joint vision and hierarchy in place,

- learning the modus operandi of the team, and

- becoming part of the culture of the team.

Move carefully.

Change or adjustment is far simpler for one sheep than a herd. A giant sea vessel turns much slower than a powerboat; it is also much more difficult for the former to reverse a decision. Patience in your spot, a clear understanding of the operational structure of the team, and understanding the significance of your role are necessary to fill your spot on the team adequately. When spots have to move, more parts are moving on a team. The bigger the team, the more moving parts, the more carefully changes should be made.

DREAM SPOTS

Are you in the right spot to move forward in seeing your dream come to fruition?

This is not a given either. It is entirely possible for a very gifted and skillful self-starter to test many different avenues in the quest to fulfill their dreams. Dream spots:

Have room for one, then more.

Entrepreneurs, especially during the early days, walk a lonely path that easily leads to isolation. Walking alone hides blind spots that cause delays and discomfort. It is also true that in the early days of any dream, it is good to walk alone at times to avoid distraction.

There comes a time, however, that dreams need to be exposed to:

- those who love and encourage you to keep going, and

- experts in the field to bring the reality home, no matter how hard it is for you to face.

Move more

To bring a dream to pass always requires pioneering new ground; new to the dreamer and new to the world. Blazing new trails in your field or family may require direction changes that will consequently move your spot. Do not fear to assess your spot. There is wisdom in the counsel of many, especially when you are taking new ground.

NOT SURE OF YOUR SPOT? ASK.

Ask yourself if you have an exceptional assignment for your spot, something you may not have chosen, but you are called to do. You may have heard from God, have a particular affiliation with your spot, or believe in the cause or goals of your team. Be honest with yourself, take time and consider the reason why you are on your team or pursuing your dream.

Ask a mentor, someone who has been where you are and accomplished what you have set out to do. You may have a coach, know someone you can talk to as a coach, or have to make a cold call and ask for ten minutes of time from someone you admire. Do whatever it takes, it is your life, and you only get one to live.

Be open to receiving uncomfortable input. Judge the input, only agree if you have peace about what is said or have it confirmed by another wise person in your life. Don’t strive for comfort, but look for peace in the outcome of the coaching conversation. Comfort is hardly reliable as criteria for reaching your goals in life until of course, you have achieved them.

Ask your superiors, your profession’s gurus. If you are brave, you will ask for feedback about the perceived success in your spot. If you present yourself as someone ready to learn, bend, and stretch, the sky will be the limit in your endeavors. Any wise manager or coach will recognize your potential if you are teachable.

A HEALTHY SPOT

Overlaps or intersects with that of others
Is always a little too big for you
Brings out and shows your beauty and potential
Contributes to a higher or broader cause than just yours
Grows

WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR SPOT

Stand in it
Fill it
Make it look good
Keep it accessible
Thank someone for it

OTHERS

Whether you are working on your own career goals independently as an entrepreneur or as part of a team in an organization, a winning team is paramount for reaching goals for the team or the dream. Achieving your goals will always require others to be involved. To grow and expand your spot will have to stretch and move, or “morph” as I like to call it.

THE STRETCH

Without the stretch of a spot or goal that is bigger than your capacity, you may hold ground as opposed to taking territory. There is nothing wrong with being content in merely maintaining your spot if you are ready to settle for the status quo. The problem is, you may wake up one day realizing you have lost ground instead of holding territory. Even holding your ground requires a stretch.

IT'S YOUR LIFE

You are the only one that can decide whether the pressure in your current spot is sustainable for your personal life or goals. Pressure is useful and necessary to reach your potential, yet too much is detrimental to your whole person. You decide. Be wise. Find your spot. Enjoy your spot. Fill your spot! Receive wise input! Don’t go at it alone.

ASSESSMENT TOOL

ASSESSING YOUR SPOT

Whether teaming or dreaming it, regular honest assessments have great value.

A regular assessment of where skills and passions are is good practice to keep spots in check. Assessments are not ways to get rid of team members or abandon your dream, but instead, make sure spots “fit.” Team spots may have to move; dream spots may have to adjust according to goals, skill sets, or personal motivations.

1. Are You in the Right Spot for Your Own Sake, Whether TEAMING or DREAMING?

Do you feel fulfilled, satisfied at the end of the day or project?
Are you at peace to get up and do your job—not dragging to go?
Does your spot require you to stretch and grow as it should?
Does it bring the best out of you in creativity, skill or passion?
Does your spot prepare you for your future goals and vision?

"Yes" to less than 3:

This spot may not be best for you. Carefully weigh your options without impulsive actions you will later regret. Change takes time and needs to happen in wisdom and the right timing, which may require wise counsel.

"Yes" to 3 or more:

Hold on to your spot. Your role is right for you. For now. Take note of the areas you scored negatively for they offer room and direction for growth.

2. Are You in the Right Spot For the TEAM'S or DREAM'S sake?

TEAM

Do you know you offer a valued and valuable contribution to the team?
Are you locked in with other team members, accomplishing goals greater than one person’s capacity? All teams have strife from time to time, but overall is there unity in producing and getting the job done?
Are you uneasy about your spot or role as perceived by your superiors?
Is this what you are supposed to do—do you feel you are a natural fit, successful in your role?
Do you have a special calling, have you heard from God, or are you committed for the sake of the team? Is there something outside of yourself that is keeping your passion alive for your spot?

DREAM

Do you know that fulfilling your dream will solve a problem for you or someone else?
Are you ready to grow your team and deal with people issues once the dream takes off?
Are you confident to expose your dream to the world before it reaches undeniable success?
Do you have confirmation in your heart that following your dream is what you are supposed to do whether you achieve success or not?
Do you have a special calling, have you heard from God, or are you committed for the sake of the dream? Is there something outside of yourself that is keeping your passion alive for your spot?

"Yes" to less than 3 in either team or dream: