What Makes Teams Successful?

As most (or some) of you know, I'm a sports fan. My team loyalties are a tad eclectic as I grew up in a couple of places and now reside in the Washington, DC area.

A couple of years ago, I had the nerve-racking fortune to witness the Washington Capitals win their first Stanley Cup. This year, a similar heart-stopping experience watching the Washington Nationals win their first World Series. Just this past weekend, the Green Bay Packers made it all the way to the NFC Championship game. They lost and it ended their hope-filled season, but it got me thinking.

What made these teams successful?

I would argue that the commonality between all of these championship winning teams was that they had fun, genuinely enjoyed and liked each other, and they had persevered through some adversity together.

Of course, you have to have talented players, but I would argue that none of these teams were the best teams in their franchise histories, or at least not on paper.

• In the first round, the Capitals came back from a 0-2 series deficit to win four in a row. In the second round, they beat the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion team. It took seven games and a win on the road in the third round. In the final championship round, they lost the first game and then won four in a row, the final one being on the road.
• Leading into the Nationals' season there was some uncertainty as outfielder Bryce Harper had left the team in the off season as a free agent. The Washington Nationals also started their season 19-31. In World Series Game 5, ace pitcher Max Scherzer was scratched three hours before the game due to neck spasms. Rumors had it that he couldn't even dress himself that morning. With deciding Game 7 on the line, Scherzer pitched five innings, which seemed like a virtual miracle from what we had heard from Game 5.
• The Packers entered the season with a new coach and a previous season where they'd failed to qualify for the playoffs with a record of 6-9-1 and the coach who was fired after week 13. Expectations were not high for this season.

What was the difference?

• No fountain in Washington, DC was safe from Capitals' players where a resounding "We are the champions" was sung at top lung.
• Who can forget Gerardo Parra's Baby Shark walk-up song? Most likely, it's now stuck in your head. Or, the video of Parra, Scherzer and Aníbal Sánchez giving "I'm-not-much-of-a-hugger" Nationals' pitcher, Stephen Strasburg a big bear hug?

“I think the biggest thing is that we have really, over the last couple years, tried to address is the culture in the clubhouse,” Strasburg said. “And Davey’s been great. He’s kind of let a lot of the guys that have been there a long time kind of take over the clubhouse. And the additions that we brought in this year has only made it so much better. We have a lot of fun playing together, we have a lot of fun winning together, and we just want to keep that going.” (By Byron Kerr)

• Interview after interview after the Packers' loss, players talked about disappointment at not getting to the Super Bowl, but the thing they'll miss most about this season is what a close-knit locker room it had become and how much fun they had together.

“Every team is different, every room is different,” Rodgers said. ““It’s a long year, but this one will always be special because it became fun again.” (By Tom Rock)

So what should that tell us about our work teams?

Okay, so there's no fountain splashing or morning walk-up song, and Human Resources probably frowns on regular office-place hugging. But, I hope you and your colleagues have a genuine liking for each other, mutual respect, support for each other through life's difficult moments, and let's face it, some fun!