When you read the words, “Top 5,” do you immediately think of a playlist? An expert ranking of vacation spots? The best tools for the job?
All of those things are common and valid responses, but a “Top 5” for me is far more than that. When I think of my “Top 5,” I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude. That’s right: Gratitude.
“Hang on, Tom,” you may be thinking. “Why would you feel gratitude over your favorite five pop music hits or even your best-loved books? Isn’t that taking things a little too far?”
Well, I’m not thinking of some popular band or even the best literature in the world when I think of my “Top 5”. I’m thinking of something infinitely more valuable: the group of people I call when I need support, advice, and guidance in my business and in my life. Now isn’t have five people like that on “speed dial” something to be grateful for? I certainly think so!
Why You Need a Top 5
When my students first hear me talk about the concept of a Good Success Top 5, they often smirk a little bit at me.
“I’m kind of over ranking my best friends,” they tell me. “That’s kind of elementary-school for me.” Then, when they really understand what a Top 5 really does, they can’t wait to start making that list.
Think of your Top 5 as a mini-mastermind group. In a mastermind, successful professionals with similar values come together to share ideas, support each other, and help each other grow their businesses. Your Top 5 should consist of people to whom you turn when you need an objective point of view about a business decision or when you are struggling with a significant business dilemma. They are your TEAM, not your “BFFs”. They can be counted on to offer sound, knowledgeable advice, support you, but also speak honestly. These individuals make up your Top 5, and if you have five of them, then you should also be overwhelmingly grateful.
Putting Your Dream Team Together
In theory, assembling your Top 5 is easy. For example, you might quickly list off Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Billy Graham, Thomas Jefferson, and Socrates. That’s a great Top 5. Too bad you probably can’t call any of them on the phone and work through what’s going on in your business. Instead, take a few minutes to list some people whose advice, knowledge, and character you respect. Then, your Top 5 down to the people with whom you have a good rapport and from whom you may already solicit advice. The point is not necessarily to build yourself a group of free advisors or start taking up all of your Top 5 members’ time discussing your own future. Instead, the point of having a Top 5 is to make it part of your habitual practice to consult whichever members are the right fit for the situation when you have a dilemma or a big decision to make. In general, your Top 5 will usually be a list of somewhere between 5 and 12 people by the time you are done.
In my book, The 30-Day Good Success Journey, I go into a lot more detail about what a Top 5 should mean for your business and how to assemble the right group of people for your Top 5. For example, did you know that there are three individuals that should be in every single person’s Top 5 with few or even no exceptions? Find out how to get started building your Good Success by assembling your Top 5 Dream Team by starting your Good Success Journey today.
