Team work, Team Players Committed to a common vision

A group of us have been meeting together weekly for years. We call this small group a Success Group. The concept is like a church cell group – a bunch of people commit to coming together weekly to encourage, exhort and, in our case, to practise the values critical to success in the MLM business. These include care, commitment, responsibility, honouring our word, and team work.

The Success Group has been one of the key reasons why many of us have managed to survive the immense challenges of the network marketing business.

Not once has the whole team ever been on a company incentive trip together. Last March, we decided to see how everyone in the team could qualify for a European Cruise. This incentive cruise to England, France and Belgium was the most attractive incentive trip ever; hitherto, this kind of cruise was reserved for the very elite of the company. We were to sail on one of the newest, smartest ships – Ovation of the Seas – the latest ship of Royal Caribbean International Cruise Line, Europe’s finest cruise company. The itinerary included spectacular, scenic and historic destinations such as Mont St Michel, Stonehenge, Bruges, Paris, and London.

It would be a holiday to be truly cherished, not least because we’d be with people we really wanted to be with. It promised loads of fun. So, I mapped out a strategy, and people who wanted to have a stab at being on this deluxe cruise opted to be part of the game plan.

That was 11 months ago. Today, the entire group had qualified for the cruise. For the first time, some were bringing family members along. I had invited my brother for our first holiday together in 30 years. All in all, this cruise saw the largest number of team-mates on an incentive trip, ever.

How did this come about? Firstly, it was team vision. Our leader enrolled us into a vision of an extraordinary trip – a trip of a lifetime – and showed us the path to accomplish it.

Secondly, we inspired team energy. It was a powerful ‘go-for-it-together’ force which rallied everyone on board. It was clear we had to stretch our abilities to the maximum; but, the energy we created made the challenges welcomed: “Yay, bring it on!”

Then there was planning, but we kept the plan simple; so much so that people felt it was do-able.

The final key was to make a DECISION. We simply DECIDED as a team that we would be on that cruise ship and committed to that goal. I have come to realise the immense power of a decision, of commitment.

When the going got tough, we pitched in to help one another. As a team, the journey did not seem too vast and scary. There was a guide – someone to show the way. Team-mates who were faster and more capable lent a reassuring hand along with encouragement.

Those who had reached the end early did not forget those who were still plodding along. There were outstanding buddies along the way, people who would do more than others; and here we saw a valuable lesson – team-mates who would not go aboard till their buddies were also on board.

I felt as though I had already gone on a dizzying trip. While this journey to qualify for the cruise hadn’t been ‘scenic’ all the way, it had been exciting, full of precious learning and invaluable experiences. After all the qualifications were done, I could enjoy the feeling of having great expectations, and hug the thought of the trip to sleep each night. And I would be taking my brother along with me!