Watching Ted Lasso is a reminder of how essential collaboration is to any sports team. You can have a star player or an enthusiastic coach, but if everyone isn’t working together success will be limited. Each person contributes and needs to not only pull their weight but also feel valued.
Michael Jordan said “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.”
It seems oversimplified, but it really does come down to these two strengths – teamwork and intelligence. Teamwork to work together and intelligence to know what traits and value each team member brings to the effort. But those things don’t come together instantly. It takes preparation, practice, building trust, commitment, positive attitude, and communication to get there — and each member of the team needs to be focused on reaching that common goal together. Let’s break down a few of the elements.
Preparation & Practice
Tennis champion Roger Federer stated “There’s no way around hard work. Embrace it. You have to put in the hours because there is always something you can improve on”. It takes a combination or preparation and practice to build the shared knowledge base a team must have to succeed at championship level. This is the hard part; the everyday work and discipline to build the necessary skills and cohesiveness. Preparing strategy, practicing and perfecting one’s skills, and planning how to handle what will inevitably be thrown your way are paramount to any team’s success. It is that intelligence Jordan referred to that is the collective knowledge that when quick decisions are needed on the field, each team member knows their part to bring the team closer to success, one play at a time. And with each practice, the players gain trust in their teammates.
Building Trust
As Vince Lombardi said, “Individual commitment to a group effort — that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” Lombardi knew a thing or two about teamwork. He led the Green Bay Packers to five NFL championships in the 1960s and the Super Bowl trophy is named in his honor. Building trust among team members is the cornerstone of a strong team. Encouraging and supporting each other’s work through acknowledgements of strengths builds up a team while siloing one’s self will result in work suffering. Passing the ball and sharing the credit for a winning play is just as vital to team building on the field as in the office. Forging relationships and a team environment that encapsulates all team members’ strengths and ideas to help include all views, because you never know where a great idea or play will come from.
Commitment
Billie Jean King once said that “Champions keep playing until they get it right.” Some call it stick-to-it-iveness, which others use grander words like commitment. No matter the way it is described it is what separates those who wake early for extra practice or strategy study sessions from those who stay out late and expect to still bring their A-game. You can be 100% committed to your team while also 100% committed to reaching your personal goals. In addition to earning 39 major titles through professional tennis, King is an advocate of gender equality and social justice.
Positive Attitude
“I always want to give more than I gave yesterday.”, Allyson Felix sums up this point beautifully. Maintaining a positive, forward-thinking mental attitude is challenging at times, but when you look back you will remember how you felt not just what the outcome was. Part of the positive attitude comes from the acceptance that each player matters — ego and personal agendas must be set aside to learn from past shortcomings to give more and do more tomorrow.
Communication
Michael Krzyzewski (Coach K), retired college basketball coach for Duke Blue Devils, said it best: “Communication does not always occur naturally, even among a tight-knit group of individuals. Communication must be taught and practiced in order to bring everyone together as one.” Once a team has shared knowledge and vision, it comes down to being able to implement them when time is short between plays, each member of the team needs to communicate what worked, what didn’t, and what they need to do next. Much like an office scrum meeting, these 60-second gatherings refocus the team. Also with flexibility comes resilience and ability to recover from a bad call, a killed project, or a failed play.
Goals
Setting goals is crucial for collaboration because it provides a clear sense of direction and purpose for everyone. “Set realistic goals, keep re-evaluating, and be consistent.” is a nugget of wisdom from Venus Williams. When teammates are working towards a common goal, it fosters unity, cooperation, and a sense of collective responsibility. Re-evaluating goals reduces the chance of getting sidetracked or pursuing unrelated objectives, increasing overall productivity and efficiency.
Team Spirit
Supporting and encouraging yourself and each other is integral to your team’s success. One of the greatest first basemen Eddie Murray once said “You win as a team, you lose as a team, you also do so many things together.” As a Hall of Famer and World Series Champion (1983) while he was with my beloved Orioles, Murray was an All-Star an impressive eight times. His role within the team helped him shine while also furthering the team’s goals to win games.
On game day, presentation day, or any ordinary Monday, your team’s success comes down to teamwork and intelligence. Consider your team and which of these elements you’ve mastered. Would your team be championship worthy?
Anchor and Bee 