The most connected team always wins. Sure, talented teams win in the short run, but the drama over at Uber right now just reminds me again that in the long run, it’s still the most connected teams that win! One of the leader’s most important responsibilities is assembling all of the talent of a Dream Team and then getting that talent to play together and play as a Team.
There’s a difference between a Staff and a Team. A Staff works individually to do their jobs, stay out of trouble, and keep from being fired. As a staff member, if I don’t drop the ball, I am OK with whatever else happens. On a Team, however, I care more about collective results than individual results. ON a true Team, I care more about US winning than ME winning. I care about whether my other team members are winning. On a Team, I care about my team members. Period! How do we build a connected team? Two fundamental requirements are needed:
Proximity
Teams must live and move in close proximity with each other. Teams work together. Teams do life together. Teams make decisions together. Teams spend lots of time together. A leader who says “We really don’t have a lot to meet about today,’ doesn’t understand meetings. One of the primary purposes of meetings is the fact that it puts all the talent in the same room, and moves us toward connectivity and away from isolation.
Consistency
Teams are together often. We don’t need to simply check in from time to time and make sure the wheels aren’t coming off. We need to be together often, Trust takes time. Collaboration requires trust. Trust is earned. Trust is built. Trust requires consistency. Teams not only need to be together. Community is built through consistent time together. I believe every team should build a community building component into their weekly rhythm of meetings. Teams that have a high level of trust can move at a faster pace. Therefore they get more done, and in the long run, tend to be more successful. The most connected team always wins! I am not the only one who shares this opinion: “The single most untapped competitive advantage is a healthy and cohesive team.” – Patrick Lencioni in The Advantage “Unity is the difference between a great team and an average team.” Jon Gordon in Positive Leadership “A true team—one whose members work together to achieve greatness—has a unified vision.” – John Maxwell in The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork Today spend some time thinking about how you could move the talent you have to be more closely connected to each other. This could make all the difference in whether your team wins…or loses.
Shawn Lovejoy
Shawn is the Founder & CEO of CourageToLead.com. CourageToLead coaches pastors and executives
around the world through what keeps them up at night. Shawn has been a real estate developer, church
planter, and a megachurch pastor. He now devotes himself to coaching leaders regarding their culture, teams,
and systems, and training other coaches to coach leaders all across North America and worldwide. Shawn’s
newest book, Be Mean About the Vision: Preserving and Protecting What Matters, released with Thomas
Nelson Publishers in 2016. Shawn has been married for 24 years to his best friend Tricia Lovejoy, and has
three children: Hannah, Madison, & Paul. They all live in Trussville, AL a suburb of Birmingham.
