Who’s on our A-Team?

OK, hands up, I watched the A-Team when I was a kid. BA, Face, Murdock, Hannibal….I love it when a plan comes together… All that good stuff. Not exactly Star Trek in boldly exploring issues or plotlines, but then again no pretences about it either. 

And in the years since, it’s always been interesting to note how the show’s stereotype roles show up in different ways in teams time after time. The wise clown, the planner, the no-nonsense doer… In my case, I’ve usually been Face – or to put it in even more historical Belbin terms, a Resource Investigator – the bridge to other teams, the outreach, the networker, the person who knows someone who…

When we’re talking of mapping a way forward and setting life purpose goals for ourselves, we need a Face and many others to help us along the way. The journey we’re going on will need plenty of support. It may be our own, unique purpose, yet this doesn’t mean we have to travel alone. We’ll need people around us to hold us true to our path, to cheer us along, and to call it as it is – usually, in other words, to tell us politely or otherwise that we’re being an idiot. From time to time, we’ll need advice or feedback or simply an opportunity to let our hair down and celebrate with someone. Not just for our goals, but also for our ongoing mental health and wellbeing. And for all of us who believe we’re lone wolves, the truth is we go so much further with the support and guidance of others. We need a Board of Directors. We need an A-Team.

In our REALM model, this is part of Momentum – the support network that keeps our wheels rolling forwards. The diagram below illustrates some of the roles these props can play. It’s a constellation that shows up under different names and in different formats with various coaching and purpose schools. The below is my adaptation, though in truth, we can call and define the roles however we like. These are the typical players, yet we all have our own specific needs from people around us. 

1.     Map the roles

What do we need to help us on our way? Maybe we don’t need all the roles identified above. Maybe we’re fine with just one accountability partner or a couple of people wearing multiple hats. Maybe we need other roles brought into play to help us. Whatever works for us. 

2.     People the roles

Once we’ve mapped out the roles we require, we need to determine who will fulfil them for us. Think of it like recruitment, or if you like, succession planning. We need to ensure we’ve got the right people in the right roles at the right time. 

3.     Determine the relationship

We have the roles. We have the people. Now we need to identify when and how they’re going to supply what we need from them. How will we maintain contact? Face to face? WhatsApp? Weekly Zoom check-ins? In business terms, we could even think of it in RACI language – Who’s responsible for what? Who’s accountable? Who needs to be consulted or informed? 

4.     Contract with our people

When we’ve worked out all the above, we then need to have a contracting conversation with our people. As explicitly as possible, we should map out and agree what we need from them, how, when, where, and why if need be. 

5.     Monitor progress

And let’s not forget this is a dynamic process. Keep an eye on how it all goes. Maybe we’ll need to reshuffle our deck as priorities and relationships change, as we change…

The cool thing about an A-Team is that they’re a pretty good bunch of people to have in our corner whatever we’re doing, whether we’re embarking on a new path or just managing the day to day. And beyond the above, there are so many knock-on benefits of consciously mapping out who they are. It helps us further build our awareness of our own strengths and gaps. What are the roles we’ve got covered ourselves? Which are the ones where we really do need strong support?

Another big plus is that even by simply voicing our purpose and our goals to someone else, we are increasing our commitment to the way forward. And if we’ve got the right people in place, our A-Team are going to hold us true to our plan. There may even be a big cigar at the end…

 

If you want to access a free resource based on the above piece, please go to www.orangecairns.com/resources. Amid all the other great stuff, there’s an activity there on determining who’s on your A-Team. Enjoy the learning. 

Julian

I help people lead their own way forward