Here we go again.  I am going back to sports for an example.  

The Greatest Team

I was part of a great baseball team in elementary school.  It was not surprising that we had a lot fun together.  We won games.  But more importantly, we grew together.  I have numerous vivid memories from those few seasons we played together.

When I think about those times, I struggle to remember anything about the games we played.  I even have pictures that are thirty years old.  None of them bring back scenes of swinging, running, or throwing.  It’s all things from before and after games, and even practices.  Practice can get a bad rap because it’s hard and repetitive.  But, that repetition builds character; and in our case, a lot of characters.

We had all kinds of different personalities on those teams.  We had one kid who’s family owned a pet shop.  I swear that every time he came to practice there was a different animal in the car.  We had a pair of fraternal twins who looked and acted nothing alike.  One was left-handed.  One was right-handed.  One ran well.  The other couldn’t run.  The team jokester (no it wasn’t me) always kept us on our toes.  I don’t even think he liked baseball.  He just enjoyed the company (or people that put up with his shenanigans).  We also had some players with family and health issues.  It was all part of a beautiful conglomeration of talent and shortcomings.  

Professional Teams

In business and the highest level of sport, a team is often measured by its win-loss record or its revenues.  This is certainly not invalid.  In addition though, a professional team provides more than monetary gain.  I believe the best teams are cohesive, inviting, close, and the most productive in their field.  Short term monetary gain (really short term gain of any kind) is not a reason to sacrifice the team dynamic.

Making the Team

Here are some characteristics of good teammates:

1. Devotion - They are enthusiastic about the cause.

2. Commitment - They feel obligation to perform.

3. Confidence - They believe they can execute their role.

4. Selflessness - They consider good of the team over their own gain.

5. Integrity - They uphold honesty and the appropriate principles.

6. Determination - They desire success and are not prone to give up.

7. Competent - They are capable of executing their job.

8. Humility - They believe they are capable of improvement.

9. Effective - They are good at what they do.

10. Collaborative - They work well with others.

This is not an exhaustive list.  But, it’s a great start.  Notice that some of the items are actually about doing the job.  Others, are about how they act and how they represent themselves and the organization.  

When you are having tryouts, auditions, interviews, pitches, or whatever you do in search of team members, consider the most important characteristics to you and your project or organization.  You will find that most people have different levels of each.  No one is great at them all and no one is bad at them all.  It’s a mix and a great leader is able to fit the different characteristics amongst all people on the team.  

The General Manager

One of the most interesting positions in a sports organization is the General Manager (GM).  It’s a different role than that of a GM in a retail store.  

There is a heavy concentration on personnel for a sports GM.  They are often the final say on what players will be on the team, what coaches will lead, and how much they each will be paid.  They have to consider all positions, roster restrictions, salary caps, and style of play their team will employ.  

When you are an early stage impact leader, you must think like a sports GM.  You are the go to person for all aspects of what is going on.  The best advice I received related to this subject was that you have to build the culture of your team from day one.  This means that even before you have any hires or volunteers you have to make sure the important characteristics are evident.  In other words, you have to act it yourself before you can grow.   

Identify the most important characteristics to your impact project or organization from the beginning.  Do not wait until you are ready to add people to the team.

Little League Manager

I wasn’t old enough to understand at the time.  But, I know that the coaches of my Little League baseball team were great GM’s.  They are just called coaches at that level because their primary role is to teach us the game.  But, Frank and Chris (they’re brothers) were great leaders and teachers of life.  They made the environment inviting and enjoyable for all the kids on the team.  They are the reason why we loved going to practice.  They made us friends.  

It may be hard to compare your positive impact to a professional sports team but maybe a kid’s team is a little easier.  I encourage you to add to your initial culture that you live by clearly displaying it to anyone that does join your team.  Let people grow into the organization and their role as they experience the things that are most important.  I believe that if they are the right person (identifying the right people is for another entry), they will thrive and be champions of the correct mindset.  They will be productive and help you achieve the impact (or revenue) goals that you desire, but they will also be leaders that show everyone else how it’s done.

Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen

Please do not misconstrue leadership in action to be leadership in title.  I do not expect everyone to be the director of a department.  I do however, believe that everyone can lead through their actions.   

A great team has leaders throughout its departments.  There is no way for one person, or even a few, to display the culture everywhere at all times.  The culture or environment is a collective effort.  

There are not too many cooks in the kitchen.  There are cooks in all rooms, but none of them is trying to be the head chef.  

One good example of this is from the restaurant industry.  See the Chick-fil-A Culture & Values page.  There’s a lot of great points but two stick out to me the most.  They are "better together” and “purpose-driven”.

They know that the team is greater than the sum of its parts.  If you don’t believe this, you might as well do everything yourself because you’re not helping anyone improve by bringing them on your team.  If they join your team in that scenario, they are bound to leave to reach their potential on their own.  A great team gives all of its members a chance to grow.  It’s beneficial for people to join because they will find personal growth and be a part of something great.  Also, there is a great purpose.  Without one single purpose, there is no point for a joint effort.  Everyone could have their own purpose.  A well-defined mission makes a team have something for which to work.

Diversity

A key benefit of well formed team is diversity.  In American football, there is an extremely diverse spread of athletes on a team.  There are offensive lineman, defensive lineman, running backs, line backers, wide receivers, defensive backs, special-teamers, and the most popular, quarterbacks.  This includes fast athletes, strong athletes, 150 pound (68 kilos) athletes, and 350 pound (159 kilos) athletes.  This diversity in size and skill comes together to give a team the ability to morph and change its look as it needs too.

You are putting your organization at risk if it is not diverse.  Start with diversity of thought when it’s just you.  But as you grow your team, don’t bring people on that look, think, act, and talk like you.  Find people that check the characteristics box and are different from you.  It can be easy to hire or invite what you know.  That’s too easy.  Remember, impactmaking is hard.  Challenge yourself.  Tear your organizational muscles so that they grow.

I had two great conversations about diversity on Speaking of Impact episode 48 and 42 in the past few months.  They may provide some additional insight as to the value of different views.

Young People

I may not have realized it at the time.  But, the team experiences I had when I was kid taught lasting lessons.  In fact, some of them were indelible as discussed in the December 1, 2020 E-Impact Blog entry.  I will never forget them.  This tells me that we need to educate young people as to the importance of teamwork and collaborative relationships.    It will help them learn and eventually execute in their own businesses and impact projects.  The future of impactmaking is now!

I had to look into what type of teamwork training there is for youth these days.  I found teammates.org.  It says on the site:

“The mission of the TeamMates Mentoring Program is to impact the world by inspiring youth to reach their full potential through mentoring.”

Now if that isn’t impactmaking then I don’t know what is.  Mentoring youth is a great impact project.  That could be a great way to begin your impact journey or away to supplement other activities of yours.   I have seen amazing things happen in work like that through Spoke Folk.  In fact, I am amazingly excited to participate in another tour with that organization this summer after having missed it last year because of the coronavirus.  

Bonds

I am writing this as reports out of Copenhagen say that Danish soccer player, Christian Eriksen, collapsed during a match against Finland.  It’s a terrible scene.  The emotions of his teammates are strong.  It’s not about the game which was suspended by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).  This tells me that the work that we do, although very important, means nothing if we don’t have each other.  It is together that we do our best work because it is together that we are strongest.  

Not all teams are bonded well and you don’t need to have bonded team to have a business or impact project.  However, it’s highly recommended that you have a great culture and well-bonded team.  

Teams are organized, teammates are bonded.