In last month’s installment on Building Teams to Stay Competitive, we took a look at our cultures and asked the ‘Big Three’: What do our facilities look like? What do our uniforms look like? What’s coming out of our mouths? Culture serves as the cornerstone for strong teams. Without it, we are bound to fail.
Once that foundation is established, we can work to build teams that foster individual peak performance, selflessness and resiliency. Teams that are highly motivated, laser-focused and thrive off competition. Teams I call ‘Bulletproof.’
Building the bulletproof team is a never-ending process, with a commitment that must begin at the top. Leaders play an integral role in two crucial areas of culture building: trust and selflessness.
Building a culture of trust starts with (what I call) the “ABC’s” of coaching, which stands for Always Be Caring. Leaders must genuinely care about their team (company), each player (employee) and their individual goals. Caring is the top trait among great leaders. However, it’s not uncommon for us to slip up in this department, and put our time and emotions into end results instead.
When a leader is passionate about all around him/her, good things happen. You become trustworthy, and your players believe in your words and actions because they feel cared about.
Building a culture of selflessness comes next. All the best organizations in the world have one thing in common: the individual is never more important than the team. Leaders must adopt this philosophy and allow it to guide all decisions.
Building a culture of selflessness demands a leader to create an environment of ownership. You start with collectively establishing the team’s mission. Together, you must define and create an understanding of team goals, and then how each person plays a crucial role in their execution. I have made a point with every team I’ve coached that we are like an engine—some parts are bigger and more elaborate than others, however, one little bolt falls off and it can all fail. Our players’ roles are no different.
I find, time after time, leaders fail in the area of creating meaningful ownership. We tend to gravitate towards our ‘top’ players with bigger roles. We forget about the other jobs, and how they’re just as important. I have learned over time that nobody works their hardest for something they don’t think is theirs. When the coach gets the player to believe in the team goal—and that they are a big part of that process—you create the ‘we, not me’ attitude in people. This leads to selfless decision-making that is in the team’s best interest.
High performing teams believe in their leader because they trust them and feel cared about. They become selflessly committed to the team goal, believe in the ‘we, not me’ attitude, and passionately work together to get better.
Coach’s game plan: Revisit your ABCs and evaluate the organization’s team goals and sense of ownership.
