Sole practitioners face unique challenges in building successful businesses. While the phrase, "No man is an island," may be a cliché, it is none-the-less true as it applies to the sole practitioner. In order to succeed, the sole practitioner must draw on the expertise of a diverse group. This includes administrative support, whether full time, part time or virtual, vendors and suppliers, and outside professionals such as attorneys and accountants. In practice, this results in the unique challenge of building a team composed of individuals who may sometimes have conflicting loyalties and priorities. In fact, they may never actually meet one another. While this can complicate the team-building process, it also makes it that much more important.

Team building at its core is about relationships. The most effective leaders build solid relationships with and between their team members. From there it is an easy step to mold the team into an effective, high-performance unit. Building solid relationships relies on the following five principles:

Communication Effective two-way communication is the cornerstone of relationship building and, by extension, team building. It's not enough that you clearly express your goals and expectations. You must also listen and respond to your team's doubts, concerns and ideas.

Trust All good relationships are built on trust. Your team must trust that you are committed to your goals and to the relationship you are building with them. On the other hand, you must trust that the members of your team will act in your best interests and will be there for you when needed.

Commitment If you're not committed to your goals it will be impossible to get your team to commit. First you must insure that your team understands and accepts your goals and their place in achieving them. Obtaining commitment requires an explicit understanding of the shared risks and rewards in achieving them as well as a well-understood system for addressing the team's doubts and fears.

Inclusion In order to build an effective team the members must feel that their input and performance is important. Additionally, you must take the time to address any doubts, fears or uncertainties your team members may express. Developing an atmosphere of inclusion will result in a team that agrees to, even if they don't agree with, the steps you take to achieve your goals as sole practitioner.

Shared Responsibility Your team must understand that your success is their success. Once communication, trust, commitment and inclusion are established, your team members will accept their roles and cooperate enthusiastically in helping you achieve your goals.

The most effective sole practitioners are those that have mastered the five principles listed above and built effective, supportive teams. Emphasizing communication, trust, commitment, inclusion and shared responsibility as they work with those who support them, these practitioners have built teams that are committed to their success and that will work diligently in support of the practitioner's goals. And that is the ultimate measure of an effective team.