Building the Total Team: A Lesson from Professional Sports

Back to Index of Newsletters

From NetSpeed Leader Volume 12, September 2003

Some of us are sports fans; some of us are not. But all of us get involved in leading or participating in teams—business development teams, training teams, problem-solving teams, and budget planning teams, to name just a few. Professional sports teams can remind us what Total Teams are made of, and they can give us pointers in how to build them.

These are key characteristics of Total Teams—that is, teams that function seamlessly and synergistically:

1. Motivating Goals
2. Shared Purpose and Direction
3. Commitment to Individual and Team Roles
4. Multi-Directional Communication
5. Authority to Decide or Act
6. Reliance on Diverse Talents
7. Mutual Support and Trust

Let's look at these characteristics through the lens of sports teams to recognize our own strengths and possible opportunities for improvement.

1. Motivating Goals. In many team sports, making a goal is the goal. Goals lead to wins. For the players and everyone involved, there’s a crystal clear association between goals, wins, and success.
   To Build a Total Team: Motivate team members with goals that are clearly linked to corporate wins and successes. Your business goals may be communicated from upper management or identified by the team, but in either case, team members must understand the link between their jobs, the results of the team, and the success of the organization.
2. Shared Purpose and Direction. Players know what they are there to do. They live and breathe their sport. Before they sign on, they know the standing of their team in the league, the resources available to them, and the team's expectations. With a great coach, they buy into an exciting vision of the future.
To Build a Total Team: Create a team of people who support the team's purpose and direction and are willing to play ball. Share an inspiring vision. Be sure team members, like their cohorts on sports teams, have a sense of the larger picture—that they recognize their current standing and where they are heading.
3. Commitment to Individual and Team Roles. Chicago White Sox Designated Hitter Frank Thomas has one job on the team: he bats. However, sometimes he needs to fill in and cover first base. Does he say, "I have to focus on batting" or "I don't know how to do that"? Of course not!
   To Build a Total Team: Be sure that individual job expectations are clearly described for each individual. But at the same time, make sure everyone understands how they flex to support the team, and look for opportunities to cross-train. If team members commit to both their individual job roles and the team, they are more likely to back each other up when needed.
4. Multi-directional Communication. It's football season. Imagine this: Tampa Bay Coach Jon Gruden has decided to stop using the huddle to communicate about plays. Instead, he directs Quarterback Brad Johnson to go to each individual player to discuss the next play. Do you think the Buccaneers will be successful this way? It's absurd! Yet that is what some managers attempt to do with their teams.
   To Build a Total Team: Use meetings to encourage collaborative thinking. Encourage two-way and multidirectional communication. Get team members to talk with one another, identify and solve problems, and keep you informed. Avoid communicating primarily to separate individuals on the team, or you risk getting bogged down or creating confusion and conflict.
5. Authority to Decide or Act. Again, it's the Buccaneers. The coach has signaled for a pass, and Brad Johnson has called the play in the huddle. But the receiver isn't open. Does Johnson ask the coach what to do now? Unthinkable! He passes to someone else or attempts a run instead. The team must react to the defensive line's actions and change the play if needed.
   To Build a Total Team: Be sure team members know what they are charged to accomplish, and delegate the authority to manage those tasks and responsibilities. Establish a clear understanding of how decisions are made and implemented. Enhance customer service by making sure that decision-making authority resides with the people who face the customer. If team members can't change a play without checking with you, you are destined to lose the game!
6. Reliance on Diverse Talents. Let's look now at a baseball team, with its nine positions. Atlanta Braves Catcher Javy Lopez is very valuable behind the plate. His teammate, Andruw Jones, is phenomenal in center field. Neither would be at their best if they switched roles. They each play a role that uses their best talents, and they make a major contribution to their winning team.
   To Build a Total Team: Get to know team members' strengths, weaknesses, talents, and styles. Help them to know themselves, and guide them into team roles in which they can use their strengths. Help the team to recognize that not everyone is good at everything and to appreciate the differences. Move them from the language of judgment to the language of acceptance and valuing of differences.
7. Mutual Support and Trust. This basketball season living legend Karl Malone and superstar Gary Paynton join an already powerful team, the LA Lakers. Interestingly, both players rank high not only in points per game but also in assists. It's no surprise. Players on winning teams know that if the ultimate goal is to win the game, they have to pass the ball to a player in position to score. They have to support and trust one another.
   To Build a Total Team: Create opportunities for team members to get to know one another and build their trust. When debriefing, applaud everyone who participated in the task, and give special attention to those who provided “assists.” Cross-train as much as possible so that team members can support and back up one another. However, don’t require strong performers to consistently cover for weak ones. Instead, address performance issues that could affect how the team is functioning.

Even if your goal is not to win a pennant, a championship, or a trophy, be sure to incorporate the steps above to build a Total Team. Have a great season!