The subtle art of building teams

The term Dream Team became well known during the Barcelona Olympics of 1992 when the US basketball team brought their NBA professional stars to play for the gold.?

The biggest stars were Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Charles Barkley. Their singular focus was on one goal?—?Olympic gold. They were unwavering in their dedication, understanding that anything less than gold would be a colossal failure.

They did not stay in the Olympic Village with the other athletes, partly because of their stardom ‘habits’ and partly to avoid distractions from hysterical fans. They booked the entire floor of the most expensive 5-star hotel in Barcelona.?

They were called a Dream Team because bringing them together to play at the Olympic Games was a dream come true. The hype was enormous.

They lived up to the task and became Olympic Champions. The dream team’s golden dream had been fulfilled.

It’s easy to conclude that these NBA stars were so good that it was inevitable that they would win the gold. And yes, they were that good.

However, later versions of the Dream Team failed at the Olympic Games and were defeated by better ‘teams’ with less skilled players.

Therefore, let’s put building dream teams in perspective.?

There are a few important lessons to be learned from this Dream Team story that are relevant for any team with the ambition to?perform:

1. You need a clear goal or ‘dream’
2. You need a team of talented ‘players’ to achieve the goal.
3. You need alignment on how to accomplish the goal.
4. You need the right mindset.

So often, we see in sports that the best group of athletes doesn’t always win. Most often, the best team wins. A team that fulfills all of the above criteria.

Goal. Talent. Alignment. Mindset.?

In sports, goal, and talent are often not the problem. When you participate in the Olympic Games as an ambitious athlete, your goal is to win a gold medal. Participating may be enough for some, but as a serious athlete, you want to see the result of your accomplishments. That means living up to your potential and beating the competition.

The problem with team sports is almost always with alignment and?mindset:

• Team members are not aligned on how to achieve the goal. The strategy may not be clear, have flaws, or members have different perspectives.
• Team members who consider themselves more important than the team. Inflated egos are found everywhere.
• The mentality to go above and beyond and have an ‘over my dead body’ mentality.
• The willingness to practice and repeat over and over again. Without having a guarantee for success.
• The willingness to remain supportive, calm, and a team player when not part of the playing team but a substitute player.
• A coach who cannot make the team gel, keep stars with both feet on the ground, keep substitutes motivated, remains focused on the team interest versus individual interest, and does not play favorites.
• The coach’s ability to build a balanced team of experienced and upcoming players.
• The importance of energy, how to unleash it, maintain it, and regain it when lost or low after a match.
• The importance of trust. When players know each other’s qualities and blind spots, a higher degree of trust may help performance.
• And then there’s belief as a general principle. Do team members believe in the dream? Of course, only one team can win. But that’s often not the team with the best players. It’s the best team.

It’s often the team that wants it?most.?

Let’s now make the parallel to business. I’ve written about the principle that work teams need an athlete mindset. Work is more than challenging these days. The pressure to perform is immense, change is constant, and we don’t make time to reflect, cook a healthy meal, exercise, or rest.

Work is a top sport without being a natural sports?athlete.?

Here’s a more detailed look at Goal, Talent, Alignment, and Mindset.

In business environments, goals are often too vague, too complex, or too many and not prioritized. No time is invested in getting focused and making choices. Unlike in sports, the end game is often ambiguous. That’s why a compelling purpose, a clear strategy, and limited goals help create focus and alignment. Add consistent, cascading, and compelling communication, and you have a good foundation.

Good talent is crucial to win. Some believe talent is overrated in business and can be developed. While there’s a truth to that, it still matters to recruit the best capable people with the right mindset. That means you accept as a leader that the people you recruit may have more potential than you have. This concept is easy to grasp for great leaders but not so much for weak leaders.?

A players hire and invest in A players. B players hire and don’t invest in C players. It’s that?simple.?

Guess who ‘wins’ more often?

Another element often overlooked is alignment. We frequently witness fake alignment, fake inclusion, or none of it. Diversity of thought and time to discuss, debate, and wrestle with goals are considered unproductive. Hierarchy and ego trump true alignment. I’m beating an old drum here, emphasizing the importance of true alignment in achieving team goals. The equation is straightforward. Invest the time upfront and reap the fruits later.?

Bamboo takes five years to become visible above the ground and grow with lightning speed, but the foundational roots below the surface, invisible to anyone, are solid.?

Investing in proper alignment is the best team effort you can make. Make sure all voices are heard. Listen carefully to what is said. Weigh your options, decide, communicate, and ask your people to be aligned. You’re still the boss, so you get to choose anyway.?

Make sure your team understands the difference between agreement and alignment. You don’t have to agree to be aligned if you support the decisions.

Last but not least. Mindset. Play to win. Business is not always about winning, but that doesn’t mean you can’t play to win. The word win is not the only word in Play to Win. There’s also Play.?

Create room to?play.

Take risks, experiment, practice, fail, fall down, get up again, apply lessons, and do it better next time. Make work fun. It’s okay to ask for commitment, collaboration, communication, and ownership.?

You’re probably paying people handsomely to do their jobs, so you can ask them to do them. But then also make sure you make it fun and rewarding for them. Treat people like you want to be treated.?

Be the leader by being the coach. Provide your team with the framework they need to operate within. Create the goal(s), the strategy, and the plan to execute.?

Then, move to the sideline and let the team?play.

• Inspire when needed.
• Stand up when needed.
• Adjust when needed.
• Be tough when needed.
• Care when needed.
• Time out when needed.
• Replace when needed.
• Learn when needed.
• Sit down when needed.
• Be accessible when needed.
• Be in the spotlight when needed.
• Be behind the scenes when needed.
• Listen when needed.
• Articulate when needed.
• Be silent when needed.
• Celebrate when needed.

AND… Always be a leader.?Always!

Your turn: Dream and build your team!

Schedule a free growth conversation here if you need support on your journey.

Do more of what makes you?happy!

Erikjan