Recently, I was getting ready for a hockey game with a women’s team that I play on. Somehow the topic of me writing a book about the shenanigans that go on in the locker room came up. I laughed at the time but when I got home I realized there are so many life lessons that come from these experiences. Honestly, a large part of why I love hockey so much is the camaraderie in the locker room and of course the fact that my teammates are awesome.
Life, business, and investing are all team sports. Things go much smoother when you have the support of a good team. I don’t know about you, but I know that I have achieved much greater success when I have surrounded myself with good people. Whether in my family life, business or in sports, the support of others is a big part of my success.
Most of us have specific skill sets that we naturally excel at. If you can focus on the things that you are great at and find support in areas you are not then you can move forward much faster.
On my hockey team we have an outstanding goalie. She plays a hugely important role and has skills and experiences that the rest of us don’t have. To succeed as a team we need her between the pipes. Being a goalie is what she is great at and substituting one of us for her would probably be disastrous (and hilarious too). We all have a role to play on our team and when we stay focused on playing our positions, supporting one another and communicating well we end up having a great game.
When it comes to business and investing I’m good with numbers, finding and analyzing deals and projects. I find joy in playing with spreadsheets and working through multiple scenarios to determine whether a project will be worthwhile or not. I also enjoy taking action and jumping into projects with eagerness and excitement.
But there are many areas where I’m weak. For instance, I rely on an amazing accountant to make sure my books are in order and things are kept up to date. He does my bookkeeping and goes over the fine details of our businesses and make sure that we are on track. He keeps me posted on a regular basis so that I don’t have to be involved in the minute accounting details. I’m also not very tech savvy nor do I enjoy marketing and sales. So, I often delegate or hire for projects where I need help in these areas.
Thankfully I’m surrounded by family members, mentors and associates who all come together to support me where it’s needed. Just like the African proverb says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.