It all depends on your work style and preference, let’s have a look here on who all love to work alone and those who prefer team work, there are pros and cons either way, but team work is a winner!
Personality Types
The answer to the above question may not be easy to come unless you understand your personality type or working style. The definition of success is different for all and so are the paths on how you want to get there. And to know the path to your success the first step is to know yourself.
Working Alone
A long time freelancer would perhaps not like to work in a team or to manage a team. For some working in teams is a hindrance to productivity, perhaps you work at a super fast speed and you like experimenting which not be approved by many other members of a team, so you’d quite better off on your own.
- Others Slow me Down
There are many people who say that they’ve spent a lot of time in training employees or fixing others mistakes and would have been productive at a higher level if they had worked along. Completely agree, with technology and tools available to almost everyone it is easier to get work done more efficiently on your own, if you’re nodding on what’s been said here then here’s another point to add to you “work on your own” list!
- My Skills are All I need
You might want to master other areas than what you do best and that perhaps comes out better when working on your own. For example as a sole business owner out of requirement, want or need you must know sales, marketing, finances, development and management to get any product or service out there. A person who wants to work on all these areas might not want to delegate or prefer a team since the learning curve is higher and with fewer people to manage and of course with some efficient execution the turnaround time can be much faster.
- One Person Projects
Depending on the scale and scope of your work it just not be worth hiring or delegating tasks to other people. If a project is simple and manageable then perhaps working on your own would yield best results with minimum investment.
- Control Time spent on Work
For few in this world, growth and money are not in the definition of success, happiness and control over time is way more important. Of course, I bow to those who have found a natural balance to enjoy life on their own terms and not by the worldly temptations. If you’re one of these esteemed genre thenperhaps you’re one of those who would want to work alone and control the time and work at hand. Carry on for there are only a few that we can identify in the hi-tech, gadget-acquiring sales-crazy world!
Work in a Team to Accelerate Success
If you’re running a business or planning on starting a new one, what do you need to ensure effective execution and flow of daily work and achievements? If building a team was not on the first three points that you listed, think again it better be!
Being around with like-minded people undoubtedly enhances creativity and acceleration towards success. It also works better for those who like:
- Motivation Inspiration or Sharing
Self motivation may even take hours to days to weeks to arrive. That’s a big hurdle to progress but with a few heads to discuss around; you can easily cut down on the inspiration, motivation, a much needed sympathetic ear or a pat in the back to a matter of minutes. Also, it’s often easier to get unstuck when there are other people around you to suggest ways that you would not have thought on your own. And how about stress – that’s one factor which can even keep you from achieving what you want at the pace you want, with a team you can share stress, fears and apprehensions.
- Familiarity
Quite a lot of us do better when working with friends or someone you trust. Many companies have been founded by people who’ve worked together for some time and share similar synergies. And they have taken in more people in their teams from their previous workplaces.
- Delegation
If you enjoy delegation and it closely ties in with your management skills then for sure working in a team is for you. Most of the people we come across need direction and specific instructions to get work done and if you can do that well you can manage a team effectively. Breaking up a major task in smaller chunks has been the recipe for success for many. Delegating effectively must be on your list so that you do not feel overwhelmed by tasks and more so it offers responsibility and ownership to others in your team – something that is highly valued by employees.
- Discussions
Discussions and ideas are magic juice to the brain! A plan may evolve in a brain or two but evolution and implementation happens in invigorating brainstorming and collective execution planning. So go on and get on to efficient team building with idea flow from all and see how each and every brain contributes a step to a towering structure that your idea is destined to become. There’s a major element of learning from others as you work with others, it’s not falsely said that two heads think better than one – most of the times they do!
- Management
Now you may be seeing a perfectly strong structure coming up and your ideas climbing every step as required but you’ll only get “there” if you have honed you abilities to effective management skills. Develop yourself as a leader and a beacon, strengthen your trust and credibility in your team to ensure success. That’s my definition of management. It is not about managing a team but managing yourself first and then showing them how to follow by example. Telling what to do is not as effective as to let them see for themselves how it is done!
Best of both Worlds
For some a blend of the two works best, well most of us all in this category. We want the “creative” time – a personal time when I work on my own to create, shape and then present to the group for further ideas. And the quality discussion and growth time with the team where we can take the idea to a new level. And I believe that this is a perfect blend for success. You can only go so far along, take along a strong team and see how with each other’s help you can take your idea to a new height. So go on strengthen yourself to be a better team player! Progress and success begins with you and goes on a long way with a team.
What have been your experiences working alone and working in a team as you build your business? Do comment and share your thoughts and ideas!