Know Your Role – Kingsley Kobayashi CEO Kobayashi Group
The importance of understanding your role and your value in business and relationship
“There cannot be two suns in the sky, nor two emperors on the earth.”
Every project, every business, has activities, tasks, deadlines, or milestones. Each one of these requires different skills and abilities. But what happens when you have too many people wanted to do the same thing? The project crashes.
The biggest disasters I have seen in businesses and personal lives are when there are too many leaders, only seeing the big picture. Still, nobody assumes the role of no 2; nobody wants to be behind the scenes, moving the project in the right direction. The same happens in a family; there cannot be two heads of household. Whether you like it or not, the truth is, there is no such thing as equality in marriage. One of the partners is always dominant. It does not have to be the man; I’m not saying that, but both partners must realize that only one of them will be the Boss. Ego aside, who is the best leader? Who has the necessary skills, charisma, and can put in the time? Who is better at following directions, creating the environment essential for the project and for the leader to shine?
We know very well that there is only one number 1. Yes, that is the truth. If you are not the sole proprietor of your business, you have to set the rules straight right away. Who is the Boss?
Approach your business or your relationship as a country. There is only one King or one President. But no country can run with the King alone. The other roles are as important as the main, and the project cannot thrive without the right team. Take your time and discuss who will play what role.
So how would you define your team’s role? When teams have clear functions and responsibilities, they work more efficiently. We do not need to be leaders; we need to realize our strengths and our comfort zones because that is where we thrive the most. Remember, each role does not need to be exclusive. One individual can assume more roles if his abilities fit the situation.
Leader
A good leader must have some essential leadership skills, such as Integrity, Influence, Communication skills, Ability to Delegate, Learning Agility, Self-awareness, Empathy, Courage, and Respect. Yes, being a good leader is very hard, and not everyone can do it. If you do not like to talk to people, if you do not like assigning tasks and explaining the strategy and then keeping tap on people, you cannot be a good leader. You must be able to provide direction, vision, and motivation to the team, create rules and hold everyone, including yourself, accountable.
I also believe that a good leader understands the fundamentals of each role and, if need be, can step in to do the task. That is where learning agility comes in. A good leader constantly educates himself and develops the skills needed to excel in what he does.
A good leader has responsibility for his team and has to make the necessary decisions at the right time, so the team goal is accomplished.
Creative Director
Creative energy is vital for any team. Especially in the times of social media, every project needs somebody who can think outside of the box, create exciting content, both written and visual. The creative director also has to support the progressive energy for everyone in the team. If you have creative juices flowing, you are perfect behind the camera, planning the visuals, publications, and products. You can create and maintain the vision for the project and its branding. You can, of course, outsource part of the job, but you will oversee the staff or freelancers that design and produce your visions.
Facilitator
As the facilitator is the one who helps to make the decisions, it is often the leader, as a facilitator has to help the team to understands the mission, the objectives and explain to them how to achieve this. It also has to delegate, motivate and manage discipline.
Coach
The team’s coach offers support and training where needed. Even leaders need a coach to be more effective, progressive and perform better. Therefore, you can have few coaches in the team for different purposes and skills because adequately trained team members are the foundation of an efficient team. You can also hire a performance coach from outside of your team and provide your team members with one-on-one sessions.
Member
An effective team member is somebody who is participating in the project and does what is assigned to them. He offers his views, and supports where needed, then executes tasks given. Having good team members is crucial for successful projects or business. Without them, the team leader will get overwhelmed with many tasks.
Now that you learned about these essential roles, you can project this to your business or relationship. Remember that even though there are many roles that you can share, there can be only one leader. The effectiveness of a team comes with good communication, commitment towards the same goal, and support of each other.
