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22 R INK MAGAZ INE July/August 2011 STARrinks.com eff was a junior vice president at the corporate offices of an investment firm. He aspired to be the president of one of the company's regional properties. Even though Jeff was pegged to be a senior leader of the company, he wanted to be sure he was prepared for every opportunity that came his way. So he brainstormed a list of leaders he hoped could help him. Once his list was complete, he sat down with each person, one at a time, and interviewed them with a short list of questions that would help him grow as a leader. By doing this, Jeff had created a "dream team" and was taking the lead in his career. You can do the same. A dream team is a loose collection of advisors who help you get where you want to be as a leader. You turn to them because you know that on your path to success, they are further along than you. Your dream team might include: • Leaders you admire • Leaders who have the positions you want to hold • Leaders who have the skills you want to have • Leaders who have achieved what you want to achieve You meet with these people one by one to ask them ques- tions, seek their guidance and learn from their experience. The big difference between your dream team and other "teams" of people you might call upon, such as a mastermind group, is that you never actually assemble your dream team in one place. In this way, your dream team is more like Fantasy Football than a real team. Every member of this group has been hand-selected because together, they repre- sent the best of everything you need to be the leader you aspire to be. Once you know who's on the team, you can draw on them one by one to support you in your success. Here are the steps to help you assemble the best dream team possible: 1. Choose the "game" "Choose the game" means get clear on specifically why you want a dream team. What do you want to learn from meeting with your dream team members? As always, the answer should be tied to your vision. Perhaps you want to: • Learn how to generate passive income • Learn how to enjoy life more without giving up your career • Learn how to smoothly conduct mergers and acquisi- tions for business growth • Learn how to triple profits • Learn how to be the kind of leader that balances respect for people and the results of the business Notice that in each game, the focus is on learning. On your dream team, you're the rookie, if only in this one area of your life. 2. Pick the "players" "Pick the players" means being thoughtful and strategic about who gets on the team. This is not the time to hang out with good buddies and old friends; it's a time to branch out and build new relationships with people from whom you can truly learn. Among the group, it is helpful to have: • Advocates. Advocates champion you, encourage you and contribute directly to your success, perhaps by introducing you to influential people or making you a part of their team. • Experts. Experts have information and knowledge you need to be successful. Instead of learning it all the hard way, experts help you jump to new levels of awareness by sharing their experience. • Inspirations. Inspirations are people whose accom- plishments make you want to be better yourself. As you watch a person who inspires you — whether that person is your most courageous colleague, a person who has risen to the top J "DREAM TEAM" To Advance Your Career Use Your By JOELLE JAY, Ph.D.

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