August 27, 2014
Best of Breed: 4 Fundamental Benefits of Leveraging Expert Advisers
Think you’re a “jack of all trades?†Think again. Trying to juggle everything in business is an excellent recipe for disaster. Better to hire a specialized team of experts (even if only on a contract basis) to locate your blind spots and maximize your success.
A recent BlackEnterprise.com article by Teri N. Harrison introduced the concept of a business dream team, which identified a cadre of high-caliber individuals worthy of recruitment. And, although teams may be comprised differently based on industry or expertise, each member should definitely be “best of breed.†Best of Breed, initially coined as an investment term of art, is defined as “the most optimal investment choice for a specific sector [based on] its high quality compared competitors.†In the context of business, however, “best of breed†has emerged to describe a specialized team of experts who can elevate your business to 360 degrees of excellence.
Hesitant about recruiting your very own “best of breed†team members? Don’t be. There are numerous reasons why it simply makes good business sense. Even still, most people question whether the benefits outweigh the costs. However, this auxiliary analysis misses the point. A better question is “How could you have an even greater impact by recruiting a solid team of expert advisers?â€
Here are 4 top reasons leveraging the “best of breed†makes good business sense for you:
1. They know more than you. Contrary to popular belief, you can’t possibly know everything. Thus, harnessing the brain power of an expert will allow you to breathe easy while they perform heavily lifting in areas where you are (ouch!) painfully average. What result? You walk away with a polished product that won’t be second-guessed by the market. I’ll take that result any day of the week.
2. It saves you time. There are only so many hours in a day; I don’t care how you slice it. So, let the experts run in their lane so that you have time to perform competently in yours. You simply don’t have time to do it all. And, quite frankly, why would you want to? Being a zealot will only result in stress, burnout, inefficiency, and ineffectiveness. Plus, aren’t there a million other ways you’d prefer to spend your time—besides working? Choose the gift of time.
3. It saves you money. Ever feel silly when you’ve thrown “good money after bad?†We all have. We say “I’ll never do that again!†Then we do that again. Break the cycle and divert funds better spent elsewhere—where they can positively impact the bottom line. Don’t waste money reinventing the wheel by re-doing projects and re-allocating resources that could have been “done right the first time with the first dime.†That’s money well spent.
4. It safeguards brand perception. Everything you do in business impacts brand perception. And, if you’re in business, you’re always in the business of managing your brand. Make enough bad decisions and your credibility is completely shot. Who can afford that? The practical advantage of utilizing an expert is to capture high-quality, consistent results, which is the alchemy that brands are made of. Safeguard your brand and let your good reputation precede you.
To your success!
Karima Mariama-Arthur, Esq. is the founder and CEO of WordSmithRapport, an international consulting firm specializing in professional development. Follow her on Twitter: @wsrapport or visit her Website, WordSmithRapport.com.