Why You Need a Champion Dream Team (and How to Build It)
Every leader needs a personal team to champion her success. Get yours started now.
Comedian Amy Poehler wisely said, “Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.” So true!
Just as a business or nonprofit has a board, you need your own personal advisory council that will give you indispensable advice to benefit your leadership and boost your career.
I call this group of people your champion dream team.
Investing in your leadership means assembling your own personal board of advisors who will help propel you forward in your leadership. A champion dream team is especially essential for women. Let’s look at why that is before you explore how to launch your own!
Why is a champion dream team vital for women leaders?
Too often, women leaders lack the sponsorship that can help them get where they deserve to be in their career. Research has shown that 63% of women leaders have never had formal mentorship, and 20% of women leaders have never been asked to serve as a mentor. Women clearly need to seek out mentors far more often. And being assigned a mentor by your organization won’t necessarily work in your favor. You need people that you connect with deeply on a personal level, and who feel a sense of investment in your success.
As a leadership coach, I’ve noticed firsthand that asking for support doesn’t always come naturally to women in leadership positions. That’s especially true when you are trying something new or encountering challenges. You might feel a heightened pressure to prove yourself without asking for help. However, these are the times when women in leadership need that advisory board the most. If you put one in place now, it will be there for you through every future challenge.
Let’s take a look at how to get started on building your own team of personal advisors.
Steps to create your champion dream team
Creating your personal advisory board takes just a few simple steps:
Decide on who to invite.Schedule an initial conversation with each person you’ve decided on.
Invest in these relationships. Stay connected by scheduling time to chat periodically and share important updates with them.
I’ll walk you through each of those steps now, starting with finding the right people to invite to the table.
Where should you find your dream team?
You may immediately think of one or two people who need to be on your team, like a personal mentor. But to create a robust team, you may need to dig deeper.
Look within your network at people who have a diverse range of skills and perspectives that you admire, especially those who have achieved goals aligned with your own. Consider people you have worked with in the past, like bosses and colleagues, as well as other influential people who work in similar areas. When you think of people who have achieved ambitious goals, who comes to mind? Some of them may be peers, while others may hold higher-level positions. While people in more prestigious positions often have great advice, peers can do wonders for your confidence and lend valuable insights as well.
Ask yourself three questions when considering who to invite on board:
Why this person? What do you respect or admire about them?
What’s the current area of focus you want input on?
How often do you want to connect?
When reflecting on which people might be right for your team, try to answer each of those questions to confirm whether the people you’re considering are truly the right fit. People doing meaningful work that aligns with your own will have the best insights for you. Maybe it’s that executive director of the last organization you worked for, the former colleague you’ve stayed in touch with, or the inspiring leader that you connected with at a recent conference.
Have a goal for how often you want to connect, too. That way, when you approach them, you can ask if these conversations will fit into their schedule.
Get started with this free planning sheet to think through your advisory board.
How many people should you include?
Choose 3-6 people for your champion dream team. That’s a small enough number to maintain close relationships with all of them. Add too many, and it will be hard to stay closely connected. Many leaders I’ve worked with find that four to five is the sweet spot.
What should your initial conversation entail?
In a one-on-one conversation, tell each person why you’d love to have them on your personal advisory committee. Share the specific strengths and perspectives they possess that drew you to reach out. Describe the areas you want input on and the goals you’re currently working toward. Ask if they could share advice on these areas, and check in about how regularly they could meet.
How should you stay connected?
Try to set up a regular time to talk with each member of your champion dream team one-on-one. It doesn’t need to be super frequent—anywhere from two to four times a year to every other month is usually best. Make sure it feels manageable to both you and them. And make it a fun, informal meetup or a Zoom chat over lunch!
In between meetups, share relevant updates and news. Your advisory board is invested in your success, and will be glad to hear that their support has made a difference. When you finish a big project, reach out. When the data comes in to show the success of your efforts, tell them. You get the picture. Sharing your big news with your personal support team will help you stay motivated!
Small investments now; big payoffs later.
If you invest in building your champion dream team now, you’ll see payoffs throughout your leadership journey. You’ll look forward to the regular conversations about where you’re headed in your career, and these relationships will give you an added boost of inspiration. It will feel possible to do more than you thought you could when people that you respect assure you that you’re capable of it.
Want to dive deeper into your leadership potential? Check out more information about the Women’s Leadership Incubator or book a quick call to talk about how Amanda Silver Consulting can help.