Team Power

Much of the work we do anywhere is in a team. Sport is the most obvious, but in the workplace, in our community, in the home, we operate in teams. 

Even if there is only 2 of us, when we are working for the same outcome, it’s a team.

But is the team being led and do we feel the full power of the team?

Some notable high performing teams have come and then gone as influential leaders and members have departed.  The current state of the Australian cricket team is a case in point. 

But some teams retain their power, even when there is a change in leadership and membership. How can this happen?

The New Zealand All Blacks have a 77% winning record in test match rugby, and are the only international side with a winning record against every opponent. Their record since the 1990s transition to professional rugby has been even better than their amateur performance.

The All Blacks have been named the World Rugby Team of the Year 10 times since the award was created in 2001 and an All Black has won the World Rugby Player of the Year award 10 times over the same period. Since the introduction of the World Rugby Rankings in 2003, New Zealand has held the number one ranking longer than all other teams combined. This is well beyond the typical tenure of any one player.

James Kerr, writing in Legacy, highlighted 15 All Blacks’ team principles, the first of these being “Sweep the Sheds: never be too big to do the small things that need to be done.” After the game, all the players tidy up as an example of humility. Perhaps the success of any team is in what appear to be simple principles. 

From a very young age, my 4 brothers and I learnt from our parents how to work as a team. Mostly through personal demonstration and good organisation, but also with the occasional pep talk, we got the idea. This is not to say that there weren’t conflicts, but at our best we worked harmoniously and the benefits were obvious.

Though never listed or written down, these principles, not unlike the All Blacks, went something like:

1. We do our bit, plus a bit extra. Everyone contributes—beyond our usual capacity in order to generate a bountiful return.
2. We do what is right rather than what is comfortable. This includes not walking past something that needs our attention.
3. We belong in and to this team. It gives us something we cannot get on our own or elsewhere.
4. We take the initiative, rather than merely reacting to crises. This builds the optimist, the innovator and the creator mindsets.
5. We explain to newcomers how the team works. We want to welcome new members who can build on our success.
6. We have a leader, and each one of us contributes to leadership. We share the responsibility and the rewards.
7. We build on our positive similarities and overcome our personal differences. Our team activity binds us, but we are not the same.
8. When someone is down, we lift them up. Individually and collectively we can help each other through the times.
9. We do what we say we will do. This is the greatest and most obvious indicator of our integrity.
10. We articulate, discuss, publish and live by our values. We don’t work with those who oppose our values.

The chances are that you are a team member many times over. If you are also the leader of any of these teams, I suggest that you show them this list and ask “Which of these principles does our team have and want?”

This will prompt a rich discussion and a heightened awareness—both of which will doubtless result in greater team cohesion.

It is part of every leader’s mandate to bolster performance—nothing more rewarding than through the team that forms the executive, the team under each executive and the team of the organisation.

Team power!

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