#Sverigestannar #teamwork

Yesterday was a very good day to be in Sweden. Not since the days of Ingmar Stenmark and for younger readers the 1994 Fifa world cup has the country been so gripped by the desire for sporting success and Sweden delivered on the hopes of an expectant nation.

There are no global superstars in the Sweden football team, no Messi, no Ronaldo and importantly no Zlatan. But that seems to be working in their favour with Janne Andersson having built an incredible team spirit and the team performing to a high level.

For me, it is a reminder of the importance of team work and the benefits that it can bring to work together as a collective unit. Aristotle knew this principle over 2000 years ago stating "The whole is more than the sum of its parts" and it remains as true now as ever.

Today we have been reviewing the opportunity pipeline and for over a year we have actively invited non-sales people to join the calls; finance, legal and product management were present on some of the reviews today and each brought a different viewpoint and their own experience to the process which was extremely useful.

Teamwork, collaboration, consensus and sharing are an integral part of the Swedish psyche and these are extremely beneficial traits to have within a business. It is not just about breaking down the old isolated islands of business units but also actively pursuing a cross functional approach and encouraging co-operation and commitment.

So Sweden thank you for reminding me about the benefits of team work and proving that even if you are a great mathematician 1+1 can be greater than 2