Why do you need a team?

Entrepreneurship is hard and while it is possible to be a solopreneur your chances of success are far greater if you are working as a team. It is no different to trying to win a football game by yourself, you can't be good at everything. Even if you could do everything on your own, research has shown that doing things with friends actually makes things seem easier.

How do you build the right team?

You can't. Simple as that, you will build the wrong team. Even if you could choose from the entrepreneurship all-stars it would still be the wrong team. By definition entrepreneurship involves going into the unknown so how can you know who should be on the team? What is far more important is that the people on the team know what they are getting into and agree to join anyway. This is how Ernst Shackleton recruited people for his South Pole expedition and it shares a lot in common with what you are embarking on

Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success.

How to get people to want to join you?

Ideally you start by explaining why you are setting out on this journey. People need to understand your reasoning and the context for doing everything. This goes beyond just the business relevance but also why it is meaningful to you on a personal level. Next you want to inspire their commitment, it is easy to get people to be excited about a future hope but it isn't until they understand their role in bringing that future into reality that they will they be committed to work on it. Lastly you will be to establish and maintain an agreed upon balance between support and accountability. How much guidance does everyone expect from each other? and what happens if people don't do what they say they will do?

Creating a Team Charter/Founders Agreement

It is recommended to make a team charter/founders agreement. It doesn't need to be long or detailed but going through these questions and discussing the ones you feel are relevant at this stage is a good plan. This agreement should be reviewed every six months to make sure everyone is still on the same page.

• An example of a founders agreement from the US

Watch this 1 minute video to understand some key points about making team agreement

Watch this 1 minute video to understand some key points about making team agreement

• Some good questions to discuss first

Team charter/founders agreement structure ready for customisation

1. Define the team mission (what you intend to achieve)
2. Define the length of this agreement
3. Identify commitment levels for team members (how much time are people willing to invest?)
4. Identify the biggest potential risks
5. Describe how to address those risks

Hazards to avoid or mitigate

There are always challenges when working in a team but a great way to be ready for them is to think through what might happen before it does.

5 dysfunctions of a team

1. Absence of trust—unwilling to be vulnerable within the group
2. Fear of conflict—seeking artificial harmony over constructive passionate debate
3. Lack of commitment—feigning buy-in for group decisions creates ambiguity throughout the organization
4. Avoidance of accountability—ducking the responsibility to call peers on counterproductive behavior which sets low standards
5. Inattention to results—focusing on personal success, status and ego before team success