TEAMWORK - Reaching the heights

I’ve developed an interest in Basketball. Not, I hasten to add, that I’ve taken up playing or even know much about the game. My youngest has joined a local team and dashes energetically up and down the court bouncing the ball to various degrees of success while I find myself, along with a bunch of other dads and mums, watching from the sidelines. The team have an inspiring and extremely dedicated coach who’s worked wonders in motivating a bunch of young kids to engage in what is a relatively new sport for most of them. One of his latest directives to his squad got me thinking about the nature of teamwork. Having spent weeks urging them to pass the ball he then seemed to undo all the good work by telling them not to pass when they have a clear shot at the hoop. Cue some bewildered ten year old faces and some very blatant hogging of the ball. To be fair, the one instruction doesn’t contradict the other. In the end, of course, it’s about winning and if a player can, on their own, net the ball then they should. But what happens when a player starts to believe themselves infallible or that every opportunity is a clear shot?

You can’t talk about Basketball without referring to the late Kobe Bryant. Undoubtedly brilliant, Bryant was sometimes described as a selfish player (especially in his earlier days), isolated and frequently feuding with his teammates. He was, however, a rare and extraordinary talent, capable of turning the outcome of a game in the last moments with a single, floating shot. Yet apparently he missed more attempts than any other player in NBA history. Could the outcomes for the Lakers have been different had he been more of a team player? Who knows (and I’m definitely not enough of a Basketball expert to offer an opinion) but in my view a disciplined, motivated and well-trained team, working together, whether in business or sport, will almost certainly deliver more long term, consistent and better results than one made up of individualists and mavericks however skilled they may be.

Organisations spend countless millions on building, developing and assessing teams. In the end, though, we still largely measure performance at an individual level. Annual appraisals make little reference to our contribution to the team. We still celebrate and reward solo achievement. As humans we have a need for recognition and we revel in the plaudits from our leaders, the accolades of the crowd and praise from our peers. How many kids say ‘when I grow up I want to be part of the team? For the most part they want to be the star of the show. Is there such a thing as a true team player or is the team simply a means to an end, the vehicle we use to achieve individual glory? Most of us don’t aspire to be a part of great teams, we yearn for individual success and the recognition that it brings.

As a society we could do a lot worse than instill real team values at an early age and make what basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski calls the beauty of teamwork an end in itself. If we could do that we might just end up with better working environments, greater inclusion and diversity, and happier and more productive employees.

Which brings me back to basketball legends and to the words of another great player.

"Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships."

Michael Jordan

So true