Six Secrets of Great Teams

Jim Collins‘ book, Good to Great, profoundly impacted my life. But I’ve always wondered, Why did he use the bus illustration? On a bus the only person working is the driver – that doesn’t seem fair! And even though Collins emphasizes figuring out where you want to go after all the right people are on the bus, the driver still has sole discretion as to whether you head there or not. (I think we’ve all worked for a boss like that.)

Several months ago, I came across a video of the Canadian rowing team. It’s only a couple minutes long – watch it real quick. Within the first few seconds of watching the video I realized – This is it! This is a great illustration of team leadership!

Check out these six secrets of great teams…

1. Overcome adversity

Winning back-to-back world championships, the Canadian team had the 2004 Olympic gold medal wrapped up – or did they? Out of nowhere, they fell apart finishing a dismal 5th. But, this setback made them more determined than ever. In 2008, just two months after this video was recorded, they were back on top. Sure it hurts when you fall short of your goals – but great teams work through it together and reemerge on top.

2. Make it look easy

Champion rowing teams maintain a continuous, fluid motion. Their catches are clean and synchronized. They maintain consistent speed. How? There is a ton of practice behind the high-performing team. Teams that are destined for greatness do the work required to become great. They prepare so that on their worst day they can still win the gold! Read that sentence again – its a good one!

3. Are always improving

As teams improve, they step up the load. They practice more. They continually evaluate performance. To have a great team, we must be getting better all the time.

4. Avoid negativity

They don’t talk about it – they don’t even think about it. They don’t use negative words and they don’t place blame – they work together to make course corrections. They’re more focused on the vision of winning and what’s to get there.

5. Follow the leader

Leaders of high performing teams are always challenging the team to improve. It’s not always easy, but winning teams trust the leader and accept the challenge.

6. Know that they can depend on the team

They know that when the race is on the line, their teammates are going to do what it takes to win.

BONUS!

I included a link to this T-mobile video just for fun. It pumps me up every time I watch it!

Question: What would you add to the list? What’s another illustration of great teamwork? Share your thoughts in the comments