for your team. People react much more to what you do than to what you say, so make sure you are a great role model.

•3) Encourage Diversity of Opinion. Cultivate a healthy range of ideas within your business. Consider that everyone has ‘unlimited' potential. Actively look for it, facilitate it, recognise those who give it - and you'll get it.

•4) Identify Your Own Role Models. Who do you consider are the top revolutionary and inventive business minds both now and also from the past? Who do you most admire in business? When the chips a

One of the most common business issues that surfaces time and time again with many businesses is the area of Team. To be more specific: Team communication, motivation and ongoing inspiration to ensure they are with you for the long term and are an ongoing asset to your business. A common question being - "I just don't seem to ever get the ‘right' people". In most cases, working with a multitude of businesses, I have found that this generally stems back to whether the business owner has decided beforehand exactly the type of person they are looking for. So at this point you're thinking ‘well that's obvious, Mike!' - however many of us simply don't ask ourselves the right questions to ensure that we get team members with all of the attributes required for the particular position within our businesses. I generally have hired people in the past by looking for one main trait and that's the right ‘attitude' that will fit the position applied for.

So here's some ‘top tips' on creating your own ‘dream team':

To recruit and hire the very best people for your business, start by answering some very simple questions like, "What do I want? What do I not want? What are my criteria?" Write down the criteria, then come up with powerful interview questions to ascertain whether those criteria would be manifested in a given candidate.

Your interview questions should be aimed at helping prospective employees to talk about the extent to which they share your company's vision, mission, values, and strategy. This should be able to give you a feeling for whether they will likely be aligned with the way you want to operate your business. Listen carefully to the answers, and you'll easily identify the people you want that will be an asset to your team.

Team Tips:

•1) Keep Notebooks. Have each team member keep a notebook focused on new ideas. Talk to your team about any new ideas you may have. Have them write down every related thought, idea, ‘aha', article and conversation. Then get together during a team meeting and share your notes. You'll be amazed at your team member's abilities to create something you didn't have before.

•2) Lead by Example. As a leader in your business, take it upon yourself to model ‘leadership' behaviour for your team. People react much more to what you do than to what you say, so make sure you are a great role model.

•3) Encourage Diversity of Opinion. Cultivate a healthy range of ideas within your business. Consider that everyone has ‘unlimited' potential. Actively look for it, facilitate it, recognise those who give it - and you'll get it.

•4) Identify Your Own Role Models. Who do you consider are the top revolutionary and inventive business minds both now and also from the past? Who do you most admire in business? When the chips ar

nking ‘well that's obvious, Mike!' - however many of us simply don't ask ourselves the right questions to ensure that we get team members with all of the attributes required for the particular position within our businesses. I generally have hired people in the past by looking for one main trait and that's the right ‘attitude' that will fit the position applied for.

So here's some ‘top tips' on creating your own ‘dream team':

To recruit and hire the very best people for your business, start by answering some very simple questions like, "What do I want? What do I not want? What are my criteria?" Write down the criteria, then come up with powerful interview questions to ascertain whether those criteria would be manifested in a given candidate.

Your interview questions should be aimed at helping prospective employees to talk about the extent to which they share your company's vision, mission, values, and strategy. This should be able to give you a feeling for whether they will likely be aligned with the way you want to operate your business. Listen carefully to the answers, and you'll easily identify the people you want that will be an asset to your team.

Team Tips:

•1) Keep Notebooks. Have each team member keep a notebook focused on new ideas. Talk to your team about any new ideas you may have. Have them write down every related thought, idea, ‘aha', article and conversation. Then get together during a team meeting and share your notes. You'll be amazed at your team member's abilities to create something you didn't have before.

•2) Lead by Example. As a leader in your business, take it upon yourself to model ‘leadership' behaviour for your team. People react much more to what you do than to what you say, so make sure you are a great role model.

•3) Encourage Diversity of Opinion. Cultivate a healthy range of ideas within your business. Consider that everyone has ‘unlimited' potential. Actively look for it, facilitate it, recognise those who give it - and you'll get it.

•4) Identify Your Own Role Models. Who do you consider are the top revolutionary and inventive business minds both now and also from the past? Who do you most admire in business? When the chips a

What do I not want? What are my criteria?" Write down the criteria, then come up with powerful interview questions to ascertain whether those criteria would be manifested in a given candidate.

Your interview questions should be aimed at helping prospective employees to talk about the extent to which they share your company's vision, mission, values, and strategy. This should be able to give you a feeling for whether they will likely be aligned with the way you want to operate your business. Listen carefully to the answers, and you'll easily identify the people you want that will be an asset to your team.

Team Tips:

•1) Keep Notebooks. Have each team member keep a notebook focused on new ideas. Talk to your team about any new ideas you may have. Have them write down every related thought, idea, ‘aha', article and conversation. Then get together during a team meeting and share your notes. You'll be amazed at your team member's abilities to create something you didn't have before.

•2) Lead by Example. As a leader in your business, take it upon yourself to model ‘leadership' behaviour for your team. People react much more to what you do than to what you say, so make sure you are a great role model.

•3) Encourage Diversity of Opinion. Cultivate a healthy range of ideas within your business. Consider that everyone has ‘unlimited' potential. Actively look for it, facilitate it, recognise those who give it - and you'll get it.

•4) Identify Your Own Role Models. Who do you consider are the top revolutionary and inventive business minds both now and also from the past? Who do you most admire in business? When the chips a

will be an asset to your team.

Team Tips:

•1) Keep Notebooks. Have each team member keep a notebook focused on new ideas. Talk to your team about any new ideas you may have. Have them write down every related thought, idea, ‘aha', article and conversation. Then get together during a team meeting and share your notes. You'll be amazed at your team member's abilities to create something you didn't have before.

•2) Lead by Example. As a leader in your business, take it upon yourself to model ‘leadership' behaviour for your team. People react much more to what you do than to what you say, so make sure you are a great role model.

•3) Encourage Diversity of Opinion. Cultivate a healthy range of ideas within your business. Consider that everyone has ‘unlimited' potential. Actively look for it, facilitate it, recognise those who give it - and you'll get it.

•4) Identify Your Own Role Models. Who do you consider are the top revolutionary and inventive business minds both now and also from the past? Who do you most admire in business? When the chips a

for your team. People react much more to what you do than to what you say, so make sure you are a great role model.

•3) Encourage Diversity of Opinion. Cultivate a healthy range of ideas within your business. Consider that everyone has ‘unlimited' potential. Actively look for it, facilitate it, recognise those who give it - and you'll get it.

•4) Identify Your Own Role Models. Who do you consider are the top revolutionary and inventive business minds both now and also from the past? Who do you most admire in business? When the chips are down take a step back and think to yourself ‘what would this person do in my position?' This is a very powerful tool in itself and can be highly inspirational to those who work with you.

Identify some ‘Anti-role' models for building team loyalty. Learn from other people's mistakes if you can. Note those people who've been through team challenges, problems, and sometimes disasters in their own businesses and then shared their experiences (maybe in the form of a book or interview). Understand what caused them, and then take some positive steps to make sure that you learn from their mistakes by taking action to avoid falling into the same traps.