Great people can make a mediocre product a success. But mediocre people can make a great product a disaster.

Experience has taught me that you don't have to have a great product. A good product is ok. Great people make the difference. Fact: You need a great team in order to succeed. Fiction: You need to have that great team in place from the get-go. Building teams takes time.

So let's discuss who you need on your team, how to build/support/retain that team, how to find your team members, and who your extended team members should be. All the other risks you face, such as market size and technology, won't have half the impact of your team.

Tip #1: Be Diverse
A successful team must be composed of diverse players. You'll need Visionaries, Leaders, Implementers and Infrastructure Builders/Supporters. Visionaries appear at all levels, but must, of course, be highly visible in executive management. These are the people who will "see" the future of the products or services of your company as well as new markets you should enter. Leaders will also be in executive management as well as throughout the ranks. Leaders have the uncanny ability to make their mission everyone else's. A great leader can inspire and motivate people to do anything. Implementers make things happen. They build the products/services and market and sell them. The Infrastructure Builders/Supporters will create the foundation, processes and procedures of the company to keep it running smoothly.

The Visionaries need the Leaders to check and disseminate their vision, the Leaders need the Implementers to execute their orders, and everyone needs the Infrastructure Builders/Supporters to support the company's operations. If you are missing one of these roles, fill it soon. In the meantime hire a temp executive - a rent-a-controller is better than no controller.

Tip #2: Rock The Culture
The best way to build, support and retain a great team is to encourage a rockin' culture that everyone wants to be part of! Your company should have values that everyone agrees to uphold. These should be posted visibility, printed on coffee cups, etc. Everyone throughout the organization must be empowered to "call" any team member on not honoring the values. Here are ours: add massive value, take ownership, make and keep commitments, respect one another, and be positive. I've seen solid, enduring, and humane work environments created by endorsing values and I've seen the opposite without them.

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