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This is Episode 38 of This Old New Business weekly business podcast with Jeff Korhan.
Shelia Butler is the co-founder of a multi-million dollar business whose success relied heavily on organizing productive and accountable teams.
In this episode we several aspects of team building, including mentoring, leadership and accountability, and knowing when to make the difficult, but necessary changes for accomplishing business objectives.
Our Featured Guest: Shelia Butler
Shelia Butler is a growth strategist, team-builder, and host of To The Trade Radio and Successful Women Talk. She works hands-on with To-The-Trade professionals helping them solve their toughest and most critical business challenges.
Shelia was formerly Co-Owner and Chief Operating Officer of Aidan Gray Home. After selling that business in 2010, she started a consultancy to help other businesses build more repeatable profits.
Training Teams is an Asset Investment
Team building necessarily involves an investment, and it is one that will pay dividends that regularly fall to the bottom line.
One of the simplest training method that many small businesses overlook is mentoring. Shelia recommends mentoring for team building and creating upward mobility. Instead of waiting for the right time to hire someone to take over their responsibilities, smart business owners mentor their replacement years in advance.
To develop productive teams, it’s essential to first train on the workflow fundamentals. Everyone has their respective accountabilities, but there must also be a team leader that is responsible for the collective accountabilities of the team.
When teams are properly organized and equipped with a clear vision of the goal and the tools for its accomplishment, all that’s left is execution. This naturally requires recruiting great (not just good) people, and having the courage to make changes when necessary.
Shelia says every business should periodically evaluate their teams by asking the question: Knowing what you now know, would you rehire this person today? Your business is a laboratory that will only produce more favorable outcomes if changes are made for the better.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on team building? Meet me over on Twitter to take the conversation further.
Lighting Round Tips and Advice
Shelia’s Top Sales or Marketing Advice – Be yourself, communicate well, and follow through.
Her Favorite Productivity Tip – Before ending the workday, write down the top three most important projects you plan to tackle tomorrow.
A Quote that has Inspired Shelia’s Success – “Luck follows the prepared.” Louis Pasteur (paraphrased)
Key Take-Aways
- You can connect with Shelia and learn more about her work at SheliaButler.com
- For managing projects across teams, Shelia recommends Breeze Project Management.
- Jeff suggested the Kolbe A Index for affirming your intuitive hiring decisions.
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About the Author: Jeff Korhan, MBA, is the author of Built-In Social: Essential Social Marketing Practices for Every Small Business and host of This Old New Business podcast.
He helps mainstream businesses adapt their traditional growth practices to a digital world. Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+
