Elvis's Olympic Team

Helloo0O Ladies and Gentlemen!

Welcome back to Graceland Ontario for another week of exploring the success lessons of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and seeing how YOU can use them to further your dreams. Today, we’re going to be talking about the Olympics, Elvis and Teamwork. This is an episode of a mini-series so remember to tune in next week to see the next part!

So, as most of you are aware, the London 2012 Summer Olympics’s Opening Ceremony was last Friday (I watched all three and a half hours of it… it took some nerve!). With many allusions to English art and culture, at the end I could only go “Wow! That must have involved SOOO many people”. And that’s when my Elvis bell went off…

You see, Elvis also had his big events. Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii, for example, was the first internationally broadcast concert and, again, it wouldn’t have been possible without a ton of people.

Something as huge as the Olympics or an internationally broadcast concert requires a team. In fact, it requires a BIG team − the bigger the event, the bigger the team. It’d simply be too much work for one person to do, even if that person’s the Prime Minister of the U.K. or Elvis Presley.

Looking at Elvis’s Aloha show, there was his band (which was massive to start with), the stage crew, his manager, the television people and directors telling people how to film things, the people actually filming things… the number of folks involved in a production like that (or the Olympics) is insane − but without those people, it wouldn’t be possible. Elvis, however talented he was, could never have done that show sole handed − it would’ve taken years… decades!

So, if the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll couldn’t run the show single-handedly, who can? Not the President of the United States, not Richard Branson, not Justin Bieber, certainly not me. To get things done, you need bearer people, you need your team because those people are the ones who support you to do great things and keep you there. Look at Julius Caesar; he had the support of an army which he used in civil war to take over Rome. But because he didn’t have the support of the whole Senate, who he needed to resolve the political issues he’d created with the civil war, he was assassinated.

With the help of the Senate, Caesar would’ve remained leader of Rome. Without their support, however strong a man he was, he was murdered. He needed political allies, a team, to keep him in charge. Without his team, he didn’t stand a chance. Now, I don’t know about you but I’ve got no desire to be assassinated by my enemies.

In Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill, one of the greatest self-help books in history, Hill describes what he calls ‘the master mind group’. Essentially, these are the people who help you take care of business, the ones making your business possible. You’re the leader, the one calling the shots, but they’re the ones that make the shots possible. Without these people, it becomes immeasurably harder to reach your dreams… Remember Caesar? With them, anything’s achievable.

So, what’s the point? Build your master mind team. Find the people who are important for you to do things, the people who can do things better than you can, the people who can do stuff when you’re too busy; those who are good with finances and those who excel at public relations. Choose carefully: these people will compose or compost you. But when it’s complete, when you have a good team with good people and you’ve broken through your personal insecurities and taken charge of this group, anything, ANYTHING is possible − including the Olympics.

Once again, this is my Olympic mini-series… for those of you into sports and the Olympics, these next couple weeks are for you. See you next Friday!

Elvis’s Lessons:

No man can do it alone… well, that’s a lie − you can, but it’ll take you forever. Do yourself a favour and build up what Napoleon Hill called a master mind group, a bunch of people who will help you reach heights you might’ve never hit alone. You’re in charge, but they propel you further. A great team’s how great visions are achieved − the Olympics, the first internationally broadcasted concert; one man dreamed it but it took a team for them to come into reality.

P.S. If you’re interested in seeing Elvis singing “He Gave Me A Mountain” in the largest show of his career, here’s a Youtube link to that song from the Elvis: Aloha Hawaii international concert.

P.P.S. Remember to leave a comment… providing it’s not a hate rant, I’d be glad to answer it. Or, of course, email me at alexghilson@gmail.com.