Written by: Christian Thomson, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
People may assume that as a former world kickboxing champion I am used to solo successes, and carry this on into my business life. But actually, the reverse is true. In kickboxing, I may well have been the one in the ring, with the spotlight on me, but I certainly didn’t get there alone. A raft of specialists helped me get there – trainers, coaches, physio and nutritionists – each with their area of expertise that I needed to help me perform my best.
And so, the same is true in business. I am an entrepreneur, and whilst that means I need to put the work in, have the big ideas and the conviction to press ahead with them, I cannot do it alone. Any entrepreneur who thinks they can ‘go it alone’ is set to fail.
But what makes the perfect team, and why is it so important?
The saying goes that two heads are better than one, and I have certainly found this to be true.
Take for example, my business partner Virgis Silinskas, with whom I launched our Precision Health Gyms business last month. Virgis is a perfect counterbalance to myself, and we often find that by looking at things from different perspectives we come to ideas and solutions that neither of us would have arrived at alone.
We all have strengths and weaknesses, and we all have our blind spots. As a sportsperson, I know this better than most. In sports we focus on those weaknesses, and a coach may bring in a specialist to focus on that particular area. In business, and in my other role at health and wellbeing platform OMNOS, its equally vital we identify our areas for growth – both in our business and in ourselves. Then in the same way a coach would, we build our team accordingly.
Diversity within the team is vital. When recruiting staff, it’s a common mistake to choose a whole team of people who think the same way as yourself. While this no doubt can create a harmonious team of like-minded people, often there will be shared blind spots, which cause detriment to the business.
In the simplest of terms, assume that you are a quick to act, happy go lucky, big thinker. If all your team are made in the same mold, collectively you might find your business taking big risks. Without a healthy balance of detail-focused, numbers-driven thinkers in the team, those risks might not be sense checked enough to work out the way you hoped.
Self-awareness is vital, although not always easy. Often we don’t see – or want to acknowledge – our areas of weakness. But if you are an entrepreneur, just like any sporting professional at the top of their game, it is vital that you know yourself completely. Large corporations spend a lot of money running psychometric test programmes for potential employees and internal teams for just this reason.
As the owner of your business, your role is to build the team that your business needs, not the team that makes you feel comfortable. It’s when you step out of your comfort zone that the growth happens.
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Christian Thomson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Christian Thomson is a former kick-boxing world champion, award-winning coach and accredited health consultant. He is also co-founder of Precision Health Gyms - the UK's first physiology and fitness gym in the UK which offers members high-tech full body laboratory-grade testing. This includes biomechanics, physiological, metabolic and biochemical testing which helps build a precise physiological picture of the individual.
