WHO’S IN? AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHO’S OUT?

If your friends are making things feel like too much work and things are going nowhere, its time to unfriend.
We are continuing our discussion in the Building Your Legacy series today. If you are here for the first time, start here. If you are ready to add on, we are building on the last lesson from the Friends & Colleagues category, “The Entourage.”

Your homework for today: REFINING THE TEAM: WHO’S IN AND WHO’S OUT?

Today, we are going to define who’s in and who’s out. Straight up– who is in your Entourage… and who’s not:

This work is very personal and may not be best served by you writing down actual names. Or perhaps you would do well to write down names, but do not wish to leave them in your workbook permanently. We leave that choice entirely up to you. If it serves you best to write things down and name names– by all means, please do so. But if it is better for you to do this in your mind, that’s fine, as well. But DO NOT skip this exercise. It is equally important, written on paper or in your mind.

So, here goes. We’ll define your Personal Entourage first, and then we’ll define your Professional Entourage. There may be some overlap, but not always.

Your Personal Entourage is the group that surrounds your personal life. Using the qualities you defined in the last lesson for the entry and exit points of your entourage, make the following lists:

1. Who is CURRENTLY in your Entourage and gets to STAY there (they MUST meet the criteria for entry that you’ve already named in your qualities/characteristics list.)

2. Who is CURRENTLY in your Entourage but will be REMOVED (because they fall within your exit criteria)… remember this isn’t going to be a big announcement!

3. Who is NOT YET in your Entourage, but you WANT them to be.

Now it’s time to define who’s on your professional team. This is the “Entourage” for your career work, so remember that while there may be some overlap, your Professional Entourage may be different than your Personal Entourage. It’s important to define both.

Name the following people in your current Professional Entourage. You may not be able to fill all (or any) of the blanks in yet. That’s ok for now because we are going to help you fill them in. You’re looking for great professionals who are high performers in their fields, but don’t forget there is great value if they also carry some of the personal qualities/characteristics that you’ve already defined. If you do not have at least one name in each of the blanks below, it’s time to put the wheels in motion to get these filled in. These are people who can and will be very important to your overall potential for long-term success.

Business Coach:
Mentor:
CPA/Accountant:
Legal Counsel:
Virtual Assistant(s):
Employees:
Vendors:
Other:

ACTION:

Figure out who is missing from your Personal Entourage and your Professional Entourage. Write those names down below, and purposefully seek out the next generation of your entourage. Find them, meet them, build rapport with them. It is all done on purpose. Who will be in your future Entourage? If you are stuck on the thought of, “I can’t afford to hire…” consider hiring un-paid or commission-based interns. If you are hiring a virtual assistant, hire on a 90 day trial basis with no hourly quota. If you hire them for one project to start, you risk very little…and you’ll be amazed at how freeing it is when you let go a little so you can focus on what you love in your business. More importantly, the financial return of you being freed up will ultimately be higher than you trying to be the Chief Everything Officer. If you are still with us and you are ready to start hiring, but you are stuck on the “Find them,” keep reading…..we have some resources for you there, too. First, write the names of those you will purposefully seek out. If you have to start with the tasks and assign names later after you do some research, that’s fine:

Lots more next time—see you then!

Hugs for you AND the entourage,
Aly & Andrea