Who's In Your Starting Five?

The Starting Five in South Carolina

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” – Jim Rohn

I read this quote recently and began to think about the people I spend the most time with as a leader.  I believe that you should always surround yourself with people who make you better.  I also believe in surrounding yourself with people who think differently and push you to stretch your thinking.  

As a leader you can only lead people as far as you have gone yourself.  That's why it is critical to continually re-evaluate your "starting five" to determine if they are helping to develop you as a leader.  The book The Wisdom of Crowds touches on some of these key points.  These are four factors that book references that will make up a wise crowd or an all star starting five.

Diversity of opinion	Each person should be an independent thinker
Independence	People's opinions aren't determined by the opinions of those around them.
Decentralization	People are able to specialize and draw on local knowledge.
Aggregation	Some mechanism exists for turning private judgments into a collective decision.

I actually think about the five people quote in two different ways.  First, there are the five people that I have the most face to face time with.  These are the people who are on your leadership team, executive team, etc.  These are the key decision makers who you rely on to get a project done.  Are you surrounded by the right people?  

The second way involves the importance of a Personal Learning Network (PLN).  The five people I spend the most time with really depends on the project, area of interest, topic discussed, etc.  Technology has become a game-changer in terms of unparalleled access to experts in all fields of study.  In this way I become infinitely smarter with my starting five.  I am able to garner resources, ask questions, discuss obstacles, and take advantage of opportunities.  I often wonder how I ever operated without the benefit of my PLN.  Mudder Nation is a great example of a PLN devoted entirely to insane people like the three of us.  This blog has also expanded our starting five as it has given us another avenue to connect and learn from others who are taking on grand adventures.  

DC, Patrick, and I have all also written various posts about how one wouldn't be here without the other.  This is the heart of the quote.  You will only be as good as the company you keep.  This line is scary as it is just another sign that I am turning into my parents.  They often gave me this advice throughout school as it pertained to friends.  I feel fortunate to surround myself with people that push me in all phases on my life.  Some people push me professional while others push me to be a better person.  The rare people are the ones that can push you in all aspects including your year in the mud.  


Who is in your starting five?  Take a look at those five people.  Are you okay with your average?  Is it enough to move you or your organization forward?  How can you leverage the collective wisdom of this group to transform learning?