THE PRICE OF TEAMWORK

As a follow up to the "The Price That Must Be Paid," here are some great thoughts from John Maxwell on "The Price of Teamwork."

Sacrifice:

There can be no success without sacrifice. James Allen observed, “He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much.”

Time Commitment:

Teamwork does no come cheaply. It costs you time-that means you pay for it with your life. Teamwork can’t be developed in a microwave time. Teams grow strong in a Crock-Pot environment.

Personal Development:

Your team will reach its potential only if you reach your potential. That means today’s ability is not enough.  Or to put it the way leadership expert Max DePree did: “We cannot become what we need to be remaining what we are.”  UCLA’s John Wooden, a marvelous team leader and the greatest college basketball coach of all time, said, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.”

Unselfishness:

“When you give your best to the world, the world returns the favor.”

-H. Jackson Brown

And if you give your best to the team, it will return more to you than you give, and together you will achieve more than you can on your own.

TEAMMATES BELIEF IN EACH OTHER MAKES THEM TOUGHER

As teammates, it is imperative that we let our fellow teammates know how important their abilities and contributions are, and then we can hold each other accountable for them. As coaches, it is important to let your players know their importance in the success of the team and why, instead of only correcting them and emphasizing their weaknesses. If players know you believe in them, it is easier to then hold them accountable and expect them to meet high standards. Your belief allows you to push them harder, and have them respond positively. Your belief makes them tougher.

From "Toughness" by Jay Bilas

YOU ARE AN EXTENSION OF YOUR TEAMMATES

"Each player is an extension of his teammates. When Jerry Rice catches a ball, he is an extension of several players – those who are blocking the pass rushers, the receivers who are precisely coordinating their routes with his and the quarterback who is taking a hit after throwing the ball. When Roger Craig broke through with a big run, it embodied the fierce execution of the offensive line, the timing of their blocks and the execution of the down-field blocks by the receivers."

TEAMWORK: WORKING TOGETHER, HAVING FUN TOGETHER

Teamwork isn't just about game time.  
Teamwork is about preparation.  

Teamwork isn't just about the season.  
Teamwork is about the off-season. 

Teamwork isn't just about working hard together.  
Teamwork is about having fun together.  

And when you combine all of that, you can have something special.

Here is what LeBron James has to say about it:

"When you work out or you're doing anything active, it's more fun as a group. You may lose track of the time, and the next thing you know, you're working out for two hours because you're having fun."

ONE WAY KD MAKES HIS TEAMMATES BETTER

I

've just finished reading an excellent book "What Drives Winning" by Brett Ledbetter.  He gives a ton of examples of outstanding athletes and the work they put into being great.    One story from the book that we shared with our team is:

Here’s something that Kevin (Durant) told me he started doing as a freshman when he played basketball at the University of Texas: "One thing I try not to do is be a guy that goes into the gym and wants to be the only guy in the gym. I don’t want to be the guy that says 'I was working today, what were you doing?' I want to pull my teammates into the gym with me. If I work hard and we all work hard, I know only good things can come out of it."

NO TEAMMATE LEFT BEHIND

The following comes "The Hard Hat" written by Jon Gordon that talks about the amazing team-first habits by George Boiardi.  George was a standout lacrosse player for Cornell before tragically dying before graduation.  This is a great book that should be read by anyone interested in becoming a better teammate.  It is a book that was mandatory reading for our team this summer.  Here just an example of George being a great teammate:

Another practice George started in high school was to be the last person to leave the locker room. He played football, hockey, and lacrosse, and he was always the last to leave. He would clean up after everyone so the janitor didn’t have to do it. It was a practice he continued in college as a freshman and throughout his time at Cornell. Whenever you walked into the locker room after practice, you knew George was going to be there. As an upperclassman, he was always the last to leave and, in doing so, he would often drive the freshmen home, knowing they had a long, cold walk ahead of them to North Campus.

ARE YOU PREPARED FOR YOUR MOMENT?

"The secret of success is to be ready

when your opportunity comes."

 -Benjamin Disraeli

 

Andre Iguodala did just that.  And because he was prepared for his moment, both he and his Golden State Warrior teams was rewards.

We are talking about a quality basketball player that didn't start a single game in the regular season.  Instead of pouting or complaining or making excuses he kept working on his game and contributing what his team needed from him.

 

The key to championships is to have complete buy in.  You need players who not only accept their role -- regardless of how they feel about -- but embrace that role.  To win championships, players must put aside personal goals in work towards the good of the team.  They must believe in the coaching staff and what they are asking of them.

 

As Tyler Conway wrote for BleacherReport.com:

 

All season long, Andrea Iguodala sacrificed. When Steve Kerr came to him and asked him to come off the bench, he obliged. When shots that used to be his went to Klay Thompson, he never blinked. When media members wondered if he had fallen off, he never once wavered.

 

Now he's your NBA Finals MVP.

WHAT'S MORE IMPORTANT? YOUR TEAM OR YOUR MINUTES?

What type of attitude do you have as a player in regard to what's best for your team?  Are you most worried about the success of your team or the minutes you are going to play?  Here is the greatest of stories about sacrificing individual minutes for the good of the team by possibly the greatest collection of players to ever compete -- the ORIGINAL DREAM TEAM!

The following comes from the Dream Team’s first meeting and is one of the reasons they were truly a dream:

“Look, there are twelve of you, and you’re all All-Stars and future Hall of Famers,” said Coach Chuck Daly, “and there is no way I can get all of you the minutes you’re used to having on—-

Magic and Jordan interrupted him.

“That isn’t going to be a problem,” said Jordan.

“We’re here to win, and nobody is going to care about playing time, Chuck,” Magic said.

Taken from “Dream Team” by Jack McCallum

The original DREAM TEAM included the best that have every played:
Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, David Robinson, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Scottie Pippen, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Chris Mullin

 

    

 

THE ART OF TEAM WORK -- THE SPURS WAY

SABAN ON IT TAKES TO BE A GOOD PLAYER

"To be a good player on your team, you have to affect someone else on the team. You have to cause them to play better by the way you play. You affect other players with the character and attitude. To be a great player, you have to affect your entire unit. If you are a great player, every player on that unit plays better when you are on the field. The number one thing on any team that will keep your players from being selfish is respect for the other players. Having respect leads to trust and from that they begin to believe in each other. That is the way it works and that is the way it has to be."

-Nick Saban

DO THE SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN DO

We ran across the words of poet Everett Hall and thought what a wonderful mindset for players.  It doesn't matter what your role is with your team.  Maybe you are a starter that is expected to continually set screens for your shooters.  Maybe you are the first sub off the bench expected to come in and be lockdown defender.  Maybe you are someone who gets in the game only when the margin of victory or defeat merits it. 

Let's take it a step further.  Maybe you aren't even a player.  Maybe your are a manager.  Maybe you are the person that films the games or keeps the stats.

Whatever your role is with the team it is important and valuable -- even if you don't see it or realize it.

As Everett Hall wrote:

I am only one,
But still I am one.
I cannot do everything
But still I can do something;
And because I cannot do everything
I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.

If you are the starter counted on to screen -- be the best screener in your conference.  Execute your screening angles as well as any player before you.

If you are the lockdown defender coming off the bench -- be the best lockdown defender your program has ever had.  Come off the bench with intensity and determination to not allow your man to score.

If you rarely play except when the game is already decided -- be the most enthusiastic player on your bench.  Be the person that lights the fire under those that play.

If you are a manager, statistician or video person -- make sure no one does their job better than you.

"I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."

TEAM STRENGTH

"As long as you brothers support one another and render assistance to one another, your enemies can never gain victory over you.  But if you fall away from one another, you can be broken like a frail arrow, one at a time."

-Genghis Khan
(Taken from the book "Damn Few" by Rorke Denver

DEFINING AND DEVELOPING YOUR CONTRIBUTION

The mindset of a player who wants to contribute to a team's success is much different than a selfish player that is just looking to be a start and standout.

The following comes from "On Managing Yourself" which is a book sponsored by the Harvard Business Review.  This particular passage comes from the great Peter Drucker who believes we must start with the first essential question:

What should my contribution be?

To answer it, they must address three distinct elements:

#1 What does the situation require?

#2 Given my strengths, my way of performing, and my values, how can I make the greatest contribution to what needs to be done?

#3 And finally, what results have to be achieved to make a difference.

Drucker's questions seem quite simple but it takes a truly honest, self-evaluating team player to ask these questions.  Then it takes a committed, team-oriented player to go about doing the work necessary to create the contribution that he/she wants to truly make.

ARE YOU IMPRESSIVE OR INFLUENTIAL

The following "The Difference You Make" -- a great book by Pat Williams with Jim Denney:

"People are impressed by athletic ability but they are influenced by the way we treat other people.  It takes a lot more than athletic ability to be a hero and a role model.  You've got to have good character, good values, and a good heart in order to be someone worth admiring and emulating.  A 'hero' with great athletic talent but a small mind and a closed heart is unworthy of anyone's adulation."

As an athlete, you are working hard to develop your skill set.  But as a person, how are you working to develop those around you.   Do you know you gym janitors by name -- always greeting them will a "hello" and a smile?  When's the last time you've been by the office to speak to your team secretary and see how she's doing?  What is your relationship with your team's managers?  Do you truly treat them as team members or do you make their jobs more difficult?  The absolute great ones know that to achieve maximum success that they need everyone to be at their best.

MORE IMPORTANT THAT THE TEAM PLAYS WELL

"I think any player will tell you that

individual accomplishments help your ego, but if

you don't win, it makes for a very, very long season. 

 It counts more that the team has played well."

 

-David Robinson

TEAM: LEAN AND SUPPORT

"No body is a whole team...We need each other.  You need someone and someone needs you.  Isolate islands we're not.  To make this thing called life work, we gotta lean and support. And relate and respond.  And give and take.  And confess and forgive.  And reach out and embrace and rely...Since none of us is a whole, independent, self-sufficient, super-capable, all-powerful hotshot, let's quit acting like we are.  Life's lonely enough without our playing that silly role.  The game is over.  Let's link up."

-Chuck Swindoll

MJ ON LEADERSHIP

But a leaders has to earn that title.  You aren't the leader just because you're the best player on the team, the smartest person in the class, or the most popular.  No one can give you that title either.  You have to gain the respect of those around you or by your actions.  You have to be consistent in your approach whether it's basketball practice, a sales meeting, or dealing with your family.

A leader can't make any excuses.  There has to be quality in everything you do.  Off the court, on the court, in the classroom, on the playground, inside the meeting room, outside of work.  You have to transfer those skills, that drive, to whatever environment you're in.

And you have to be willing to sacrifice certain individual goals, if necessary for the good of the team.

From "I Can't Accept Not Trying"

ARE YOU THE CARETAKER OF YOUR TEAM?

The following comes from Pat William's book "How To Be Like Mike."

“One day during the 1997-98 season, Phil Jackson called off a practice.  Michael said to Scottie Pippen, ‘We’re not playing well enough not to practice.  So they went to Phil and requested a practice.  Turned out they practiced for three hours.  Later, MJ said, ‘The best players have to be the caretakers.’”

9 WAYS TO BE A GREAT TEAM MEMBER

I'm not sure there is anyone out there right now that is doing more to help individuals and teams grow than Jon Gordon.  Here is a list that he recently sent out in his email newsletter that is worthy of all us on teams to read:

1. Set the Example - Instead of worrying about the lack of performance, productivity and commitment of others you simply decide to set the example and show your team members what hard work, passion and commitment looks like. Focus on being your best every day. (Tweet This) When you do this you’ll raise the standards and performance of everyone around you.

2. Use Your Strengths to Help the Team - The most powerful way you can contribute to your team is to use your gifts and talents to contribute to the team's vision and goals. Without your effort, focus, talent and growth the team won't accomplish its mission. This means you have an obligation to improve so you can improve your team. You are meant to develop your strengths to make a stronger team. Be selfish by developing you and unselfish by making sure your strengths serve the team.

3. Share Positive Contagious Energy - Research shows emotions are contagious and each day you are infecting your team with either positive energy or negative energy. You can be a germ or a big dose a Vitamin C. When you share positive energy you infectiously enhance the mood, morale and performance of your team. Remember, negativity is toxic. Energy Vampires sabotage teams and complaining is like vomiting. Afterwards you feel better but everyone around you feels sick.

4. Know and Live the Magic Ratio - High performing teams have more positive interactions than negative interactions. 3:1 is the ratio to remember. Teams that experience interactions at a ratio equal or greater than 3:1 are more productive and higher performing than those with a ratio of less than 3:1. Teams that have a ratio of 2:1, 1:1 or more negative interactions than positive interactions become stagnant and unproductive. This means you can be a great team member by being a 3 to 1’er. Create more positive interactions. Praise more. Encourage more. Appreciate more. Smile more. High-five more. Recognize more. Energize more. Read more about this at www.FeedthePositiveDog.com

5. Put the Team First - Great team players always put the team first. They work hard for the team. They develop themselves for the team. They serve the team. Their motto is whatever it takes to make the team better. They don’t take credit. They give credit to the team. To be a great team member your ego must be subservient to the mission and purpose of the team. It’s a challenge to keep our ego in check. It’s something most of us struggle with because we have our own goals and desires. But if we monitor our ego and put the team first we’ll make the team better and our servant approach will make us better.

6. Build Relationships - Relationships are the foundation upon which winning teams are built and great team members take the time to connect, communicate and care to build strong bonds and relationships with all their team members. You can be the smartest person in the room but if you don’t connect with others you will fail as a team member. (Tweet This) It’s important to take the time to get to know your team members. Listen to them. Eat with them. Learn about them. Know what inspires them and show them you care about them.

7. Trust and Be Trusted - You can’t have a strong team without strong relationships. And you can’t have strong relationships without trust. Great team members trust their teammates and most of all their team members trust them. Trust is earned through integrity, consistency, honesty, transparency, vulnerability and dependability. If you can’t be trusted you can’t be a great team member. Trust is everything.

8. Hold Them Accountable - Sometimes our team members fall short of the team's expectations. Sometimes they make mistakes. Sometimes they need a little tough love. Great team members hold each other accountable. They push, challenge and stretch each other to be their best. Don’t be afraid to hold your team members accountable. But remember to be effective you must built trust and a relationship with your team members. If they know you care about them, they will allow you to challenge them and hold them accountable. Tough love works when love comes first. Love tough.

9. Be Humble - Great team members are humble. They are willing to learn, improve and get better. They are open to their team member's feedback and suggestions and don’t let their ego get in the way of their growth or the team’s growth. I learned the power of being humble in my marriage. My wife had some criticism for me one day and instead of being defensive and prideful, I simply said, "Make me better. I'm open. Tell me how I can improve." Saying this diffused the tension and the conversation was a game changer. If we're not humble we won’t allow ourselves to be held accountable. We won’t grow. We won’t build strong relationships and we won’t put the team first. There’s tremendous power in humility that makes us and our team better.

YOU'LL NEVER FORGET YOUR TEAMMATES

"Even when you've played the game of your life, it's the feeling of teamwork that you'll remember.  You'll forget the plays, the shots, and the scores, but you'll never forget your teammates."

-Anonymous