Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Gold or Bronze?

Having a successful team takes more than just assembling the most talented players in world and expecting them to be winners.

Making sure you have the right group of people who's blended skills can complement one another is vital to the team's success.

We're talking about collaboration, exceution and chemistry.



The 2004 US Olympic basketball squad is a great example of this. They were the finest basketball players in the world who's goal was to bring home the gold medal. However, their dreams materialized into a bronze finish.

While there isn't an official do's and don't list when it comes to assembling a team, here are a few things to keep in mind.




Communicate the goals of the team clearly from the onset to make sure everyone knows the game plan.

Try to assemble a group with varied skill sets and strengths, this will give members an opportunity to show off their individuals talents.

Having a vision of what the team's identity will be can help you select the most suitable members.

Align tasks with strengths of the members to best maximize contributions.

Have a clear system on how you choose to evaluate prospective team members. Instinct vs references

In Closing...


Keeping these points in mind could be the difference in having a team that brings home a gold medal versus a bronze.




“Coming together is the beginning;
keeping together is the process;
working together is success.”
– Henry Ford

Thanks for reading!

Audley



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1 comment:

  1. Unlike the USA Basketball team, I feel it's also important not to underestimate ANYONE! If this means giving someone a chance, if it means looking out for competition, if it means sacrificing something to maintain what you have, it needs to be done.

    That was their biggest weakness I believe: thinking the gold was won before it was. Thanks Audley!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

All the best!