What Is Teamwork?

The ______ of the Leader

According to John Maxwell, "The speed of the leader is the speed of the team." While that's true, it is important to remember that the leader sets many agendas in addition to speed. Consider this phrase: The ______ of the leader is the ______ of the team. Now pick almost any word to fill in the blanks...

Attitude.

Enthusiasm.

Focus.

Service.

Rarely will team members rise higher than the standard set by the team leader. As I often share with my audiences, team members pay more attention to what the leader does than what the leader says. Ideally, there is congruence between the words and the action of the leaders. Wherever there is discongruence, followers choose to believe actions.

Are you giving team members something to live up to? Or are you a limiting factor in the team's success?

Teamwork: Where?

While working with a telecom company recently, I was reminded of a couple of points about teamwork that are seldom addressed but critically important. The first is this:

Teamwork isn't always the best means to an end.

There is much organizational work that is better done by an individual. Trying to bring teamwork to bear on every process and activity is likely to create something that has a scary resemblance to the dreaded "management by committee."

To make teamwork work, it is necessary to answer the question "Where?" Where should we team and/or partner? What areas will be improved by applying a teamwork approach?

Secondly, it isn't enough to sell the benefits of teamwork if you can't identify the opportunities. This is related to my previous point. Start by asking where in your organization teamwork is most needed. Rather than apply a general and vague team approach, target specific areas. Once momentum is gained in those important areas, you can increase the scope of teamwork.

I wonder how many team efforts crashed and burned because nobody ever asked if teamwork was desirable for the type of work being done, or identified where the opportunities for teamwork were greatest.

Middle-Down Teamwork

One of the most common mistakes I observe is what I call "middle-down teamwork." That occurs when upper management thinks that teamwork is a great concept for every in the organization except them.

Here's what happens: someone in leadership gets turned-on by an article in Fortune or Business Week about the organizational benefits of teamwork. That usually results in a mandate to create teamwork that is directed to middle management. Middle management is expected to put their people through prerequisite training and take the steps necessary to ""make it happen." Often during the initial training, it becomes painfully obvious to those involved that upper management neither practices nor supports the concept of teamwork, and that if teamwork is to happen, it will happen from the middle down. Evaluations of the training include comments like, "Why wasn't upper management involved in the training?" and "I hope our leadership takes these lessons to heart."

For teamwork to work, it must be embraced--in principle and in practice--by everyone in the organization. But, in my opinion, the best place for a teamwork initiative to start is at the top. Once employees see leadership practicing what they preach, it becomes significantly easier to get acceptance throughout the organization.

1. In successful teams, team members are interdependent. They are willing to ask for help when they need it and offer help when they can provide it.
2. Work groups compete inward. Teams compete outward. There are three things you can use to create healthy competition: a competitor in the marketplace, a team goal to be achieved or a common problem to be solved.
3. Team members are self-starters. Since they understand the big picture, they don't need to be told what to do.
4. Successful team members share both rewards and sacrifices. Don't expect people to make sacrifices if they won't get to share in the rewards later.
5. The best thing you can strive for is not a team with a great leader. The highest goal is a team of leaders.


Cindy Ashworth is a single, work at home mom. Providing a REAL work at home business with one on one coaching and mentoring. The way it should be! Also the owner of www.asinglewahm.blogspot.com and www.mykidsmywhy.com.

Articles written in this blog by Cindy Ashworth are the sole property of Cindy Ashworth and permission is needed for duplication.

Plugging

Plugging... What an effective way to get your business or service out there.. And guess what? It's FREE.

So many websites and blogs have plug boards on them that will allow you to place your plug and url on their board in exchange for allowing them to plug on yours...And you can still find websites and blogs that will let you plug without even having a plug board of your own.

Of course you can google "plug boards" but you won't get as many listings as you would by actually visiting one. Because once you visit one, you will have access to many more.

You will need a plug image that represents you. For this blog, I am using the "Asinglewahm" and I can go to other blogs or websites and plug it...Meaning, when someone clicks on the image, it will take them to my business or service.

Example: at the bottom of this blog is a section called "Plug It" When plugging you will need an image url and a website url.... In the first box is where you will input the image url.... That link is what allows your image to show.... The second box is your website url..... once you enter both, you click on "plug" and that will display your image and link so someone can click on it and see what you are all about.

So go ahead and plug everywhere you can... It's a great way to get your business/service out there and the best part is, it's FREE!



Cindy Ashworth is a single, work at home mom. Providing a REAL work at home business with one on one coaching and mentoring. The way it should be! Also the owner of www.asinglewahm.blogspot.com and www.mykidsmywhy.com.

Articles written in this blog by Cindy Ashworth are the sole property of Cindy Ashworth and permission is needed for duplication.

Does this sound like you? You can bring in extra income with a honest, legit, work at home business that is flexible, family friendly and very easy to work.

Bonuses - Incentives - Great Pay - Flexibility - Better Business Awarded Company

See for yourself...Click on the image and fill out the application and you can come and see if what we do is a match for what you are looking for.




Cindy Ashworth is a single, work at home mom. Providing a REAL work at home business with one on one coaching and mentoring. The way it should be! Also the owner of www.asinglewahm.blogspot.com and www.mykidsmywhy.com.

Articles written in this blog by Cindy Ashworth are the sole property of Cindy Ashworth and permission is needed for duplication.

Whatever it takes, commit completely to your goals and
success will follow!

Zig Ziglar

Cindy Ashworth is a single, work at home mom. Providing a REAL work at home business with one on one coaching and mentoring. The way it should be! Also the owner of www.asinglewahm.blogspot.com and www.mykidsmywhy.com.

Articles written in this blog by Cindy Ashworth are the sole property of Cindy Ashworth and permission is needed for duplication.

Writing Articles

Writing articles is a great way to get yourself noticed. As long as there is a topic that you know pretty well, you should be able to write about it. You can even take the same article and rewrite it in another way and create a new article that way.

At the end of each article you write and submit, you will be asked for a bio that leads to you.
This is where you will input your expertise and a link that will allow that reader to find you.

Now when submitting an article, you are giving your rights away for redistribution of that article... However, your bio needs to stay intact. Allowing your article to pop up anywhere and everywhere with your contact info available.

What a great way to get noticed...There are so many article directories that I just suggest you google (article directories or article submissions) for your results.



Cindy Ashworth is a single, work at home mom. Providing a REAL work at home business with one on one coaching and mentoring. The way it should be! Also the owner of www.asinglewahm.blogspot.com and www.mykidsmywhy.com.

Articles written in this blog by Cindy Ashworth are the sole property of Cindy Ashworth and permission is needed for duplication.

Cindy Ashworth is a single, work at home mom. Providing a REAL work at home business with one on one coaching and mentoring. The way it should be! Also the owner of www.asinglewahm.blogspot.com and www.mykidsmywhy.com.

Articles written in this blog by Cindy Ashworth are the sole property of Cindy Ashworth and permission is needed for duplication.

Do You Need A Virtual Assistant?

If you are in business for yourself then I am sure you have heard the term - Outsourcing.
When you can take specific tasks and delegate them to a trusted individual to get the job done, that is outsourcing. Leaving you time to focus on the essential duties that you need to do yourself.

So what is a Virtual Assistant? Consider your Virtual Assistant your Personal Assistant. This is an individual that has your business needs #1 on their priority list.
What does a Virtual Assistant do? A Virtual Assistant is your right hand. Accomplishing so many of the tasks that you just don't have enough time to do yourself.

What are some of the tasks a Virtual Assistant can do? Each Virtual Assistant expertise will vary. But following is a list of the basics that a Virtual Assistant can and will do:

1) Administrative Tasks
2) Set appointments
3) Draw up contracts, proposals and quotes
4) Relieve you of the tedious tasks that time just does not allow you to do yourself
5) Data Entry
6) Order Taking/Processing
7) Email
8) Creating Spreadsheets
9) Power Point Presentations
10) Marketing

Sundi Hayes brings her front office C-Level can do attitude and skills to provide back office support and administration to speakers, coaches and trainers across the nation. After fifteen years in Corporate America, her organizational, project management, communication and process development skills have been sharpened and honed to perfection.

As a Christian, wife and soccer mom to three pre-teen boys, working a full time job and working toward the dream of being a full-time soloist. She knows first hand that balance can be achieved through the use of advanced technology and a lot of it.

Cutting edge technology comes with a price, however, My Office Zilla has been a bootstrap organization from the beginning. Starting in early 2008 with only a laptop and internet connection, Sundi's company has experienced much of its growth as a result of her fantastic attitude and willingness to learn new things - whether it's a new skill to benefit her clients or to further her personal love of learning.

Technology has consistently provided the means to finding unique solutions to many of her clients' challenges. In the end, what her clients experience is Sundi's passion to take their visions from dream to reality.


http://www.myofficezilla.com
http://www.myofficezilla.com/nibbles
You can find Sundi on twitter: @Sundi_MOZ




Cindy Ashworth is a single, work at home mom. Providing a REAL work at home business with one on one coaching and mentoring. The way it should be! Also the owner of www.asinglewahm.blogspot.com and www.mykidsmywhy.com.

Articles written in this blog by Cindy Ashworth are the sole property of Cindy Ashworth and permission is needed for duplication.

I will be starting something new... Something I have not done yet but look forward to doing. I will be featuring other business's right here. I will try to keep it mixed up and cover many different people and business's. Please come back often because I will be speaking with my first "Featured Guest" tomorrow.

Make it a great night!


Cindy Ashworth is a single, work at home mom. Providing a REAL work at home business with one on one coaching and mentoring. The way it should be! Also the owner of www.asinglewahm.blogspot.com and www.mykidsmywhy.com.

Articles written in this blog by Cindy Ashworth are the sole property of Cindy Ashworth and permission is needed for duplication.

Effectively Growing Your Business

What is the most effective way for a business, any business to grow? If you said "word of mouth", you are correct.

You and your family go and see a movie... You like it....You tell your girlfriend about it...And now she goes to see it because of what you said about it.

Your boyfriend takes you out to eat at a new restaurant that just opened up....You both had great service...The waiters were coming by constantly topping off your beverage...Asking if there was something else you needed... The food was amazing... The lighting was perfect....There was romance and still room to converse in getting to know each other a little more......The ambiance was perfect and the bill for your romance and connection was even better.... Of course you go ahead and tell everyone you know about the great dining experience you had....

Referrals.....All business's are built on referrals. And it is your recommendation that drives more traffic to that certain business. We do it every day, maybe not even knowing that we are doing it. We recommend the shoes we bought....The place we ate at...The movie we saw....Everything is all about referring.

So what if you came across a business that you totally believed in.... 100%... No if's, ands or buts....Would you refer? Of course you would! It's just natural to us... We do it every day and we are not even paid on it.

There is a home-based business that is built just on that... Referrals...And if you are looking to work at home, to own your own home based business and you have no problem referring something that you believe in, then you need to visit here and see if you have any problem referring this to your friends....Honest to goodness, this is life changing... And I am letting everyone know about it....







Cindy Ashworth is a single, work at home mom. Providing a REAL work at home business with one on one coaching and mentoring. The way it should be! Also the owner of www.asinglewahm.blogspot.com and www.mykidsmywhy.com.

Articles written in this blog by Cindy Ashworth are the sole property of Cindy Ashworth and permission is needed for duplication.

There Still Is Hope!

It is so hard for people to try and stay positive with the economy in such a bad state. So many people are losing their jobs... Getting their hours cut back...Every day there is another story of a "Mom and Pop' business closing down...And then there are so many "Big" business's closing down as well.

NOW is actually the time to start looking into running your own home-based business. More and more people are jumping on board and looking to work at home because of their own financial situation.

I hear every day how people think it takes hundreds, even thousands of dollars to start their own business. That just baffles me...And yet, it angers me as well. So many people are in "Desperate Mode" when looking for a home-based business and it's because of that, we have scams out there.

Understand this: There is a difference between working at home and owning your own home-business. One will most likely require a nominal fee and the other won't. I should also point out that when working from home for someone else, you again are placed in a position where you really don't have job security. You can't even imagine all the people that are looking right now for the same thing you are.... Positions are going fast, everywhere.

There is, however, hope for the individual that is looking to own their own home-based business. Your business! With all the incentives included...Imagine everything you can write off. Not just paper and ink, I'm talking about part of your electric, possibly mortgage, gas and even your household necessities. Yes, your laundry soap, shampoo, floor cleaner...Shoot! Your vitamins as well, if you take vitamins.

If you find yourself looking into owning your own business, contact me....I will gladly share what I do with you and see if it's a match for what you are looking for. It very well may be. But if you don't take the step in contacting me, where will you be 6 weeks from now? Will anything have changed for you? Take the step now..... You really have nothing to lose. Just email me.

Cindy@Im-a-wahm.com



Cindy Ashworth is a single, work at home mom. Providing a REAL work at home business with one on one coaching and mentoring. The way it should be! Also the owner of www.asinglewahm.blogspot.com and www.mykidsmywhy.com.

Articles written in this blog by Cindy Ashworth are the sole property of Cindy Ashworth and permission is needed for duplication.

Introducing Your Business

When introducing your business to a potential partner, there are a few things you NEED to do in order to succeed.

First: Be honest with yourself. Is your business something you really believe in? Or are you just crossing your fingers hoping that people will just jump on board with you? If you don't honestly believe in what you are doing, people will see through it.

*** Does your business impact people positively?
*** Will individuals benefit from the business? Not just financially.
*** Will your business become saturated? Will it still be something that the public needs and wants over a period of time?


Second: If your business involves teaming up and working together, make sure that you are there for your new partner.

*** Don't display your opportunity to potential partners by placing a pretty bow on a shiny package when inviting new partners to join you and then find yourself not there for your new partners.
*** This takes commitment on your part. You need to make sure you are there and available to your new partners. They are depending on you.

You are dealing with Real people, with Real dreams and Real Hopes. Make sure you believe in what you are doing. It also helps when your opportunity is something that is not just a fad... Something that will last forever....Something that is honest and ethical and helps everyone and everyone can benefit not just financially, but in more ways you can imagine.




Cindy Ashworth is a single, work at home mom. Providing a REAL work at home business with one on one coaching and mentoring. The way it should be! Also the owner of www.asinglewahm.blogspot.com and www.mykidsmywhy.com.

Articles written in this blog by Cindy Ashworth are the sole property of Cindy Ashworth and permission is needed for duplication.

When Working From Home Isn't Working Out

More and more moms are choosing to either work from home or start home based businesses, and while they each have their own reasons for doing so, most have one thing in common: they want to be with their children and spend more time with their families.

A Christian mom may feel an even larger responsibility to be with her children on a daily basis. It’s easier to teach our children about God’s love for them when we are with them all day, every day.

But what can a work-at-home-mom do when working from home isn’t working out?
Perhaps a home business idea didn’t take off and a business mom thinks about returning to her old job to pay off some bills. Maybe a telecommuting job is ending and another one isn’t on the horizon. Sometimes the desire for a larger home, a family vacation, or the loss of the husband’s income can lead a work-at-home mom to wonder if it’s time for her to work outside the home again.

It’s a difficult decision to make, frequently fraught with feelings of failure, sadness, and wondering where you went wrong. A Christian WAHM who prays regularly for her business’s success may even question why God didn’t just make things easier for her.

At least, that was how I felt when faced with this decision two years ago. My husband had been hospitalized for several months, his paycheck had been cut back and our expenses had increased. My revenue from my new home business simply wasn’t enough to make up the shortfall.

At first, returning to work seemed my only option, but after spending many hours in prayer and discussing options with my husband and others whom I trusted, I believed God wanted me to stay home with our children and trust Him to meet our material needs.

Rebekkah Kogelschatz of Smart Moms-Smart Business, LLC, http://www.smartmoms-smartbusiness.com, recently faced this same decision when her husband’s health problems increased his time away from work. For Kogelschatz, though, returning to work was the right answer. It has been a difficult decision, but she says, "You truly have to look at your overall picture, pray, and have faith that God will lead you to the right answer."

For anyone who feels pressured to return to an outside job, it’s important to remember that God hasn’t forgotten about you, your family, or your business. Here are some steps you can take to find God’s purpose for this time.

Pray. Are you thinking of returning to work because of social pressures, or is it truly God’s idea?
Kogelschatz and her husband both "prayed for discernment, trying not to see only the financial aspects of returning to work, which would definitely improve, but also looking at how it would affect our children and our household."

During my own husband’s illness, the growing pile of bills seemed to scream that it was time for me to go back to work. But when I asked God what He thought, I strongly felt that He wanted me to stay home and trust Him, despite how things appeared.

Whatever you decide to do, be sure it’s God’s plan and not your own.
Trust. If you have sincerely sought God’s plan for your business, you can trust that God will protect and provide for you and your family. Though not always pleasant, and not always in the way I wished He would have helped us, God did provide for my family during my husband’s illness.

As a teacher looking for a job in late summer, Kogelschatz expected to find the bottom of the barrel in teaching positions, but she believes God prepared the way for her return. "There was a great resource position available that I applied for and I got it," Kogelschatz says. "It was the perfect position for the other events that are happening in my life… God provided the right position at the right time."

Work. A return to the outside workforce does not necessarily mean the end of your home business. Continue to work on building your business when you can. Kogelschatz works many evenings on developing her websites, posting on her blogs, and chatting on forums. "When I used to work 20-30 hours a week on building the websites, I know have to balance my time with my family time and do as much as I can when I get the opportunity." She plans to return to her home based internet business full time and is using this year to build foundations that will help her earn an at-home income equivalent to her teaching salary. Kogelschatz has some encouraging words for moms who, like her, return to working outside the home for a time:

"If you have to go back to work, plan your time so your family and your home based business do not suffer, but don’t feel like you have to spend all night and the weekends working on your home based business. It may not move at the speed it would if you were home, but it will move ahead." She adds, "I am truly at peace with our decision, even though I still miss being the one with my children each day."

‘For I know the plans I have for you’ declares the Lord, ‘Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’Jeremiah 29:11

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Denise Willms is co-owner of WAHM-Articles.com, publisher of WAHM-Articles Ezine, and a ghostwriter for WAHMs who don’t like to write. She is author of the free eBook, Uncovering the Secrets of WAHM Article Marketing and A 30-Day Prayer Guide for Work-at-Home-Moms, scheduled for release in 2007. For more information, please visit http://www.wahm-articles.com or email info@denisewillms.com .




Cindy Ashworth is a single, work at home mom. Providing a REAL work at home business with one on one coaching and mentoring. The way it should be! Also the owner of www.asinglewahm.blogspot.com and www.mykidsmywhy.com.

Articles written in this blog by Cindy Ashworth are the sole property of Cindy Ashworth and permission is needed for duplication.