The importance of having a support team

Last week I launched my book – The Business of Being Social: how to harness the untapped potential of social media. It was a great realisation for myself; many people attended, the local Mayor delivered a wonderful introduction and overall it was a successful night.

Afterwards as I reflected, what stood out the most was the importance of having a support team. Anyone who has ever organised an event (and that is most people) knows that an event doesn’t just happen, it involves a team. The book launch would not have been a success if I wasn’t surrounded by great people.

Although, I did the majority of planning, organising and logistics, this alone would not have made the night a success.

Here are 3 things that stand out:

Plan, plan and plan

When running to a time schedule the more planning and organising you do the better the event will run. Share the running sheet with your team before the night as they will pick up things you hadn’t considered and it ensures nothing is overlooked. Although planning won’t necessarily stop unforeseen circumstances, it may mean you are better equipped to deal with any little thing that crops up.

Give your team autonomy

It is important to have the ‘right’ people involved as part of the team, have faith in them and believe they can do the task at hand. You require ‘doers’ who are happy to take ownership and run with it.  If you don’t give them some space they are unlikely to perform to the level required. There were many things that happened on the night that I wasn’t involved in. For example, the room was starting to get hot as more people arrived.  One of my team took it upon himself to find out where and how to adjust the room temperature without getting me involved.  It is only a small thing but it makes the world of difference.

You can’t do it all yourself

Despite all the planning and organising you do yourself, some preparation from certain team members is also required. For example, as I was going to be interviewed on the night, the interviewer obviously had to read the book and be prepared with questions to ask.  And the MC had to be prepared with notes on what to say to ensure a smooth sailing between speakers.

So despite all the preparation and planning you do yourself in the end you are only one member in a group of people where everyone has to do their part.

Thank you team!

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Tags: social Media • Social Media Policy • Social Media Risks • the business of being social