If you have spent any amount of time searching corporate job boards, you may have noticed the word of the year: cross-functional. It seems this is a must have in the way of qualifications for that dream job. The keepers of the aforementioned “dream” job have latched onto this term in an attempt to disguise the real implication of the term: “Economy is bad so you and your team are going to be doing three jobs in one.” Actually, while researching I discovered this tidbit from USLegal.com:
Cross-functional teams are not new. Northwestern Mutual Life insurance company pioneered their use in the 1950s when the CEO of the company brought together people from the financial, investment, actuarial, and other departments to study the impact that computers would have on the business world. As a result of that first CFT, Northwestern was among the first companies in the country to create an information systems department that gave the company a large competitive advantage as computers gained in popularity.
The premise is, a team of people with different functions or disciplines, will get the job done more efficiently, and essentially in a more productive manner than each individual would on their own. It’s not a bad thing at all. So in the spirit of that, I wondered how I could apply this practice to my blog. I can look at this in two ways. First I can utilize multiple areas of knowledge on my own to expand my blog. Secondly, I can branch out and cultivate the expertise of the people who are successful in my niche.
Example of utilizing someone else’s experience
Let’s take a look at the latter. An excellent example of utilizing someone else’s experience.
Can be found at Traffic Generation Cafe. Consider this theory, traffic generation is not your strong point. Using cross functional ideology, you seek out those who have found success in this arena. Finding the desired knowledge base, you read, learn and implement. Therefore, saving yourself valuable time and energy, minimizing dead ends and costly mistakes. By costly, I mean exploring avenues that will not produce results for your goal. You also avoid making the mistake of spending your hard earned cash on traffic generation systems that are just a bunch of hype and provide you no real solutions.
It is imperative, and I am very serious, that you listen to those that have been there and succeeded. I don’t mean you should copy their models but really look at the information they are providing you. This is free guidance that is being given to you and they are an invaluable resource to aide in your success. For me personally, this has been a game changer. Admit you can’t do it all alone and you’re one step ahead of most.
Now back to the first example of cross functional in regards to your blog or site. Tapping into the diverse talents you possess will only help you stand out. If your blog is about cats then you must leverage the knowledge you have acquired and diversify your site.
How to accomplish this task?
An easy way to accomplish this task is to get out the trusty pen and paper. Write down specific categories pertaining to cats. For example, breeds, personalities, habits, food types, litter, I think you get the picture. If you have knowledge of cats, you surely know things about those topics. This will give you a plethora of information to write about for your posts. The same holds true regardless of your niche. Each of those topics can be drilled down into further categories the more you learn.
If you utilize individual and cross functional teams, there is no reason you should fail. Trial and error, yes. But fail? No. I continue to preach community involvement is the ultimate key to success and I stand by that 100%.
What are your thoughts on cross functional teams and how do you utilize this theory?