Team building is not an easy process for a startup. As one of the creators of WhyHire.me, I sometimes get so caught up in my own ambition of creating my vision that I fail to take a moment to recognize the tremendous weight and responsibility of asking others to join me on this journey. I have already made the decision to risk everything to see this idea become something successful; for my team (current and future), I am asking them to risk a lot to join our startup. Everyone that knows me well and has worked with me, understands that I will do absolutely everything in my power to make sure as a company we always march forward –- together.

As a leader, I’m subservient as much as I am controlling. My team understands that we have a plan that is well-thought-through, and does not rely on luck (i.e. low probability events), nor hope — but execution. At my very core, I believe in order to succeed, we need to build an incredibly tight unit. There will be times where I will need to ask each and every person on my team to make sacrifices, whether it be extra time at work as opposed to time at home, or helping out a team member whose code was accidentally causing SQL injection attacks or even asking my team to build something over from scratch because we need to change direction, or as they say in startup lingo – pivot.

The degree to which my team is willing to respond to decisions absolutely affects our ability to succeed perhaps more than any other factor in a startup. If my team is going to follow me into battle, then as a leader, I must serve them well. The Canadian Army abides by the military doctrine, “mission, team, self”. In a startup, I like to think it’s the same.

Steve Jobs calls himself a recruiter. I used to think that was weird, but more and more I am realizing that team is the only key to success and the reality is, great people want to work at a winner. I know I do.

If you’re in a startup or even, a member of a great team, I want to hear from you! “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” – Michael Jordan

Nothing truly motivates me more than talking with someone who is working on what they love. It really is infectious. But many people approach their career planning as an analytical exercise about which markets are growing and which professions are in demand.  I know that was my approach when I first moved to Ottawa roughly 4 years ago. While this is relevant data, I believe that career planning is not primarily an analytical task. In predicting professional success, enthusiam and passion (and the hard work they inspire) count for much more than extra piece of ability.

I have had the opportunity to interview several great companies and smart HR practioners and it started to become very clear that success does not necessarily come to those with the highest IQ, nor to those who went to the best schools, nor even those who chose the most in demand specialty at that time. Rather, lifelong drive and determination have been more influential in predicting professional success.  Unless you are working on something you love, it is hard to find the discipline to exhibit drive and determination with consistent conviction.

Calvin Coolidge, said “Nothing in the world can take place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”

Many people, when making career plans, ask themselves what they are good at. However, as Coolidge pointed out, talents (or skills or strengths) are not the key issue, even if they are relevant.  Rather, what is important is what inspires persistence and determination – in other words, what do you care about.  Don’t worry about what you’re good at. If something turns you on, you’ll be good enough. If it doesn’t, you won’t.

Your strengths are irrelevant: What you like and enjoy doing is critical! Success, in my humble opinion, comes from doing what you enjoy – at least that’s what I believe. If you don’t enjoy it, how can it be called success?
Do you agree? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

I recently spoke at the College Association for Language and Literacy (CALL) Conference at Algonquin College on the subject of personal branding and career marketing.  We talked about many issues related to getting students career ready and the production of resumes and online profiles to assist with their career marketing.

One topic that came up, as it often does, is the power of TED videos.  As part of the WhyHire.me training process, I ask students to find a TED video that inspires them and either falls in line with their interests, passions or area of study.  My students have found the most amazing content that has inspired both them and me.  It’s because of TED videos my Computer Science students shared in blog posts that I’m now continuing my learning in the area of gaming theory and engagement models.

The TED videos are an amazing resource to tap into at all stages of our careers.  They are short at only 20 minutes, highlight the thinking of brilliant minds all over the world on topics of interest to anyone, and there is a never ending supply because they are the by-product of on-going events.  Above everything else, they are inspiring.  They get you thinking, asking questions, and pulling new thoughts into your consciousness.

I recommended that everyone invite TED to be part of their life long learning.  That’s my idea worth spreading.

A few of my favorites:

• Sir Ken – Schools Kill Creativity
• Simon Sinek – How great leaders inspire action
• Jane McGonigal:  Gaming can make a better world
• Cameron Herold:  Let’s raise kids to be entrepreneurs

Over the years, I have been privy to various discussions on the subject of groups, teams, leadership and most recently, collaboration.

Let’s first start with groups.  We put students in groups to complete projects but we don’t always give them the skills and guidance to become an effective team.  A group is a collection of people with no real structure or plan.  The hope is that people are placed into a group, some guidelines are provided and with those guidelines we expects teams to form.

Now, if only building teams was that simple.  There are so many levels of team development including looking at personalities, roles, objectives, a charter for engagement and the project management that’s required to deliver a final project.  In many cases, I have noticed that my student teams will slice up duties based on skills, time and personality type.  This process creates a disjointed project where in most cases one or maybe two people pick up the ball and take responsibility for the majority of the work.

The missing piece is often collaboration.  Collaboration means that the group is involved in the thinking not just a task.  It’s the sharing of facts, viewpoints and experience that provides for the richness of collaboration.  I may come to the table with a good idea but it’s my collaborators that will help me develop an even better idea, approach, or product.

This process of collaboration takes time and effort.  After all, you are building relationships. Trust has to be built and respect has to be earned.

I’ve been lucky enough to work on a few collaborative projects over the last few months both inside Algonquin College and outside as an entrepreneur.  One of my most recent projects is working with Sue Murphy of Jester Creative,  Shawn MacDonell of Creativision, and Ian Graham of The Code Factory on a seminar series.  Together, we are offering collaborative seminars for entrepreneurs and wanna-be entrepreneurs in Ottawa.  Sue provides a wonderful outline of the seminar on her blog SuzeMuse.  We believe that by combining our expertise, we can offer a broader array of knowledge and a more valuable learning experience for entrepreneurs.  If you are interested in joining us for an evening of collaboration and learning, you can register on The Code Factory website.

With our Night @ the Code Factory events, we want to bring people together so they can start building trust and respect and in turn start to collaborate on their business ideas and goals.  I will be looking at new ways to integrate collaboration into the classroom next year also.  As the world becomes more open, the best ideas will rise to the top.  Collaboration will become a necessary skill for all entrepreneurs.

If you think about your own life, your values form the cornerstones for all that you do, think, believe, and accomplish. Your values dictate your actions whether you are aware of it or not.

When I say values, I’m not talking about “honesty”, “integrity” or any of that standard stuff. I’m talking about what is the key reason or the key thing that drives and motivates you.

Part of the attraction toward a job or career is the satisfaction that comes from it.  Research has indicated that the most satisfaction we get from a job is associated with the degree to which our personal values match those of the other employees that you work with.  Both people and organizations have values and they need to be shared values.

Are your values real, meaningful, and sustainable? How do you think about your values?
When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier.