Diamonds Are Your Best Friend – Not The Kind You Imagine

One of the key things I talk to clients and prospective clients about is their diamond support team and in this article, I want to share with you the 5 key traits you need to look for in a support team.

Your diamond support team is a group of people who support and guide you as you run your business. These people are not necessarily on your staff (they can be) but a group of people who are totally committed to helping you fulfill your dreams and business goals.

You need to exercise caution when selecting this team because even with the best will in the world, some people will not be suitable. For example, our family may not be the best people to seek advice from. They love us and want the best for us but their fears for us (and themselves) will come through in their advice and they could create doubt and anxiety where previously there was none.

Choosing your team can take time but here are my 5 top tips:

1. Impartial

You need someone who is not heavily vested in your business so they have room to breathe and can be impartial. When someone is invested too much, it can cloud their view. This is a classic example when a family member might not be the best person to help in a situation.

2. Balanced

Here you want someone who can take what you say on board and look at it from different perspectives and offer you a view that is considered and well thought out. You want someone who can look at your plan/ your idea/ your suggestion from all angles and base their guidance on that – the last thing you need is someone who loves your idea so much that you both end up missing a huge blind spot which could be devastating.

3. Experienced & Proven

This is really a no-brainer. Look for people experienced and proven in the areas you need help with. It’s as simple as that.

4. No B.S.

This is my favourite… get someone who will tell you what you need to hear with no BS included. I will admit, this has been a tough one for me to hear at time but my strategy for not immediately throttling the messenger(!) is to take a step back, hear what they have to say, sleep on it and then respond. And I let them know this is what I am doing so they don’t think I’m ignoring them!

You need the people you trust to be honest and truthful with you.

5. The Duck & Hug!

Following on from point 4, you need them to know when to duck!! In a moment of weakness, you may throw a strop because you don’t want to hear what someone has to say but if you really trust them, you will take it on board. You may not follow their advice but at least you know they’re looking out for you and once you’re past the ‘ducking’ stage… you can move to the ‘hugging’ stage where you really appreciate each other in your business journey. And isn’t that all part of the fun??

Choose carefully and choose wisely – these people will be there for the highs and the lows so you want to be sure you want them around in both instances!