TEAMS a T-Word

It’s 2025 and just in case you do business under a rock let me start by saying the reset button has already been pushed. It’s time to learn the ABCs of Economics.

Ironically, native English speakers seem to need the ABCs most because the message is getting lost among non-native speakers. Most truly global thinkers know there are two types of language (I call them tongues) that govern our perception of reality.

1. Mother’s tongue (the language that your mother speaks to you and spoke to you in the womb)

2. Mother tongue (the language of your ?host nation“ and in some cases the language your children speak in school)

Teams are real in English and are not as abstract as people have come to believe. Some business leaders and coaches teach that business is like war. You had better make sure you are on a team that can win at best or at least compete.

Win is a W-word and compete is a C-word; more on those later.

Team is an important T-word in the world of business and is arguably just as important on a societal level across the globe; trust being the most important T-word.

When talking business, the word ?team“ has morphed into something about virtual meetings or individuals that work on projects independently only to have the work submitted with more than one name attached to it. Teams don’t sweat together anymore as a rule.

The idea of sitting with your team and reading their body language has been all but completely removed. There are global ?teams“ comprised of members that never meet and would pass each other by in the street without even recognizing one another.? Yet, we hear so-called "Leaders" pontificate on the virtues of team spirit on e-platforms and social networks like this one.

Several triggered (another important T-word that has crept its way into business) people will say that I’m taking the word far too literally. Those same people will post videos of cats and children to drive home their points about the world of business. I? for one have never seen a cat or child in the office working effectively with a team. I can already feel the response from one or two readers who have heard of a child prodigy somewhere. To them I say; teams are about rules, not exceptions.

The problem, as I see it, is that woefully few individuals in the world of business have ever actually been on or supported a team during that crucial point of personal development; at school. Please don’t be offended by my observation; I’m not picking on you. Just look a little more closely at America’s institutions of higher learning and you will discover that almost every single one of them (the Ivy League included) has sports teams. The students that are not on the team, support the team. If they don’t, not everyone does, their friends do. Part of the entire experience is identifying with, joining, or supporting a team. For the nonjocks there are the debate teams, science teams, etc...

Teams have rules, roles, and always play to win. I played football (American Football) in my youth, a sport that confounds foreigners. What appears to be chaos and confusion to the untrained eye is teamwork at its finest. Each team member (player) is aware of his/her role on the team both on and off the playing field. Every move is well-calculated whether you see it or not. The team is aware of the objective and each member is placed in a position to make the goal attainable.

Lately, I have watched ?experts“ clumsily try to explain why team members should come back to the office. As we used to say in the hood, ?It ain't that deep“. Apparently, we have not only forgotten the importance of practice, but we have also forgotten how the game is played. We seem to believe that a team doesn’t need handshakes, a reassuring pat on the back, or to share meals and discuss strategies on the playing field with other team members.

Apparently, not being at the game is just as effective as being there. The players on NFL? teams haven’t received the memo about playing the game virtually. Somebody should let them know that it’s 2025 and they don’t have to actually show up physically especially if it doesn’t fit comfortably and conveniently into their day.