THE KEY INGREDIENT OF TEAM SUCCESS
There are few things in life that are more fun or more meaningful than being part of a well-connected, high performing team - a group that raises the level of its individuals and brings out the best in one another. Unfortunately, there are also few things more rare. Typically, the team dynamic is complicated. It creates friction and dysfunction - if not outwardly and openly, then personally and privately - and makes it harder, not easier, for team members to perform to their potential. Each one of us serves as a teammate in some capacity, and if you want your team to be great - in sports, at school, at work, or at home - then it’s important to understand the key ingredient of its success, and the part you play in that winning formula.
It’s easy to think that the key ingredient of a high performing team is talent, that the more ability a group possesses, the better it will be. Talent is a critical factor, of course, but the truth is there are talented teams everywhere that never come close to reaching their potential. It’s also easy to think that commitment is the key, that the more team members give, the more effectively the group will perform. That's also true. A team can never be its best if individuals aren’t willing to give the time, the effort, and the attention that success requires. Even still, I’d argue, a high level of commitment isn’t enough.
The key ingredient of a well-connected, high performing team - of a group that raises the level of its individuals and brings out the best in one another - is sacrifice. Commitment focuses on what you’re willing to give, but sacrifice is focused on what you’re willing to give up. It’s that choice that team members make - to give up something important of their own for the good of the group - that takes a collection of individuals and makes them into something bigger and better than they ever could’ve been on their own.
It’s that choice that team members make - to give up something important of their own for the good of the group - that takes a collection of individuals and makes them into something bigger and better than they ever could’ve been on their own.
Well-connected, high performing teams are rare because choosing to sacrifice is hard. It’s a decision our egos are constantly encouraging us to avoid. Each one of us - even those of us who really want to win - are naturally hard-wired, first and foremost, to look out for ourselves. There's an underlying fear that coerces us into believing that sacrificing will diminish our chances of success. It encourages us to hold tightly to what we have, to what we want, or to what we think we are entitled to, and to continually make ourselves the top priority.
When that’s the approach - me over we - individuals make decisions that erode a team’s most critical component: trust. Trust is the foundation on which well-connected, high performing teams are built. It’s their super power. The unsteadiness of life without that strong foundation breeds friction and dysfunction. But by willingly and even joyfully choosing to sacrifice something important of their own for the good of the group - by choosing to put we over me - team members are fortifying that foundation of trust. Sacrifice is the price that team success requires us to pay and the real proof of our desire to win.
So today, I want to ask you two questions. The first one is…what sacrifices are you making for your team? No matter who you are or what role you play, you are responsible for doing your part. Sometimes that sacrifice is chosen for you, and sometimes you have to choose it for yourself, but you should be able to point to some specific places where you’ve given up something of your own for the good of your group.
The second question is…how willingly and even joyfully have you made that decision? You may not always get to choose your sacrifice, but you do always get to choose how you embrace it. When it comes to this challenging area of life on a team, you can do what most people do and suffer your way through it. Or you can choose today to do what champions do. You can choose we over me. You can trust that the game honors those who do it right, and rewards those who are willing to pay the price that success requires. You can be part of a high performing, well-connected team that raises the level of its individuals and brings out the best in one another. That's the formula for a team that wins.