Dependence Versus Independence

When we build our networking businesses, we strive for duplication.
We want to duplicate strong independent leaders who can pass on skills by using a proven duplicatable system. We can do it right and duplicate independence, or we can do it wrong and duplicate dependence.
Let’s see what happens when we promote the wrong thing - dependence …
Alice sponsors Bill and teaches him1. A website2. A conference call number3. An email address4. How to set goals
Now Bill makes a point of learning the website and the conference call and the email address but thinks that setting goals is a silly waste of time for New Agers and just gets down to work.
When Bill sponsors Carol, he teaches her1. The website2. The conference call number3. The email address
Carol likes the website and the conference call and uses them a lot, but doesn’t use the email address very much and who needs it anyway when you can just phone?
When Carol sponsors Dave, she teaches him1. The website2. The conference call number
Dave loves the website but doesn’t have a good long distance plan yet so he doesn’t use the conference calls.
When Dave sponsors Ellen he shows her1. The website
Now here is where it gets stupid …
Ellen realizes she needs an email address and calls her sponsor Dave - five minutes. Dave calls Carol for the address but Carol doesn’t have it because she didn’t need it - five minutes. Carol calls Bill for the missing address and Bill repeats it to Carol - five minutes. Carol calls Dave and gives him the address - five minutes. Dave calls Ellen and gives her the missing email address - five minutes.
Total of 25 minutes minimum of wasted time that this team could have used to build their businesses. This does not even include the time that Ellen wastes standing around on one foot waiting for Dave to get back to her, or the time Dave wastes waiting for Carol, or the time that Carol waits for Bill to get back to her. Could be hours.
Throw in the time spent discussing the weather and complaining about the government and kids and spouses, and it could be DAYS!!
Now imagine the time wasted for all when Ellen sponsors Fred, and Fred decides he’d like to set some goals. Fred calls Ellen who calls Dave who calls Carol who calls Bill who calls Alice who reminds him how to set goals so Bill can call Carol who calls Dave who calls Ellen who calls Fred. At least an hour or three here, not counting waiting time and meteorological musings. More hours wasted for all.
Wouldn’t it be better if we promoted independence?
Imagine if everyone had a duplicatable system to which they could refer before going to their sponsor or upline to answer questions already answered elsewhere.
Imagine the thousands of hours that could be saved if each distributor were truly “independent”.
Imagine the strength of your team if everyone took to heart Tom Big Al Schreiter’s question,
What is it you’d like me to do for you that you are unwilling to do for yourself?
Next time you find yourself complaining about what your team is doing or not doing, ask yourself a couple of questions:
Am I doing what I would like to see my downline doing?
Am I working on becoming the kind of person I would like to sponsor and work with?
We believe that whatever you do, you can expect to see duplicated in your downline. If you are dependent, expect a lot of questions that waste your time. If you are independent and teach that to your team, you can expect to spend a lot more of your hours in productive, business building activity.
Teach duplicatable independence, not dependence on others.
Use and develop systems that help people to save time, not waste it.