Three Important Factors for a Successful Team
Strong leadership
Ideally, there will be a natural leader in the team. He or she will send out emails, organize meeting times, prioritize tasks, and delegate them appropriately throughout the team.
The leader should be sensitive to allow other members to take responsibility and control of their own work, as well as recognizing them for their achievement. This will motivate them to take the task in as their own and accomplish it to the best of their ability.
Commitment
There should be unanimous commitment from each and every team member: to be successful with the project or mission at hand. Commitment means putting in a fair share of time and work, and going above and beyond if it so requires. A team should accept no less from its individual members to perform efficiently.
Rapport
A team should have a comfortable level of social rapport to work together. This reduces team friction, and allows members to let down their shell. With this, members should be more comfortable speaking out on matters and critiquing others’ work or ideas. It’s important to create an environment where people won’t be judged for difference of opinion. Also, a bonded team can push the bounds of their creativity together during group brainstorming.
On Business School and Exams
Why do college professors at business schools design exams in a way that encourages memorization instead of application? College is supposed to prepare us students for the real world, and many of the techniques used in classrooms today have remained unchanged despite the internet revolution that changed the world of education. With the current age of instant information (via Google, Wikipedia, etc.), there is no need for extensive memorization of facts. A working accounting professional can quickly and efficiently search an official online source if he or she has forgotten a certain rule or principle. However, the “newly designed” accounting and finance curriculum at Bentley University requires Freshmen and Sophomores to do exactly the opposite, opting for strict reading and memorization of the textbook, rewarding students who have superior memory skills rather than the skills that define successful professionals.
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Information Overload
I’ve had the fortunate opportunity of having an hour-long commute to and from work this Summer. Alright, so it doesn’t sound so stellar at first, but these are two solid hours I have every (work)day that I can devote toward something. Six weeks into my internship, with this free time I’ve had, I’ve read The 4 Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris, Rework by the 37signals guys, Purple Cow by Seth Godin, and am currently half-way through 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back by Esther Gokhale (no, I don’t have back pains — however this is an amazing book on posture which was recommended to me by my brother).
Over the last few years I have been overloading my brain with information to an extreme which, eventually, just stopped being constructive. I’ve endlessly been reading blogs, articles, and books during my spare time without ever giving myself time to think.
Tim Ferris opens a chapter in the middle of his book with a quote by Albert Einstein. It resonated so strongly with me that it was motivation enough to change my ways:
“Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.”
-Albert Einstein
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“When you want something bad enough, you make the time—regardless of your other obligations. The truth is most people just don’t want it bad enough. Then they protect their ego with the excuse of time. Don’t let yourself off the hook with excuses. It’s entirely your responsibility to make your dreams come true.”
Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson — Founders of 37signals
A subtle yet intricate design which maintains an authentic feel for a vintage brand. Love the use of neutral colors and bevels.
I feel like it would be a worthy first post to explain why entrepreneurship is important to me and why I want to start my own business.
Over the last two years, I have gone from being slightly interested in entrepreneurship to wanting to start a successful business before I graduate college. A big leap, I know, but entrepreneurship has always been a desire of mine burning deep down, although until recently I haven’t come to terms with how that would incorporate into my own life. The dreaded thought of slowly climbing the corporate ladder over decades has never seemed appealing to me.
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