The Name on The Front of The Jersey

The most effective groups are the ones where the members are focused on the goals of the team. They put their personal feelings, agendas and issues on the side and play for the name on the front of the jersey as opposed to the one on the back.



That's not to say that you have to forsake who you are for the good of the team. If you look at the championship Chicago Bulls teams in the 90's, they still needed Michael Jordan to be Michael Jordan.


Essentially, a team is made up of a variety of pieces and the integrity of the group is maintained as long as each member does their part.

The bottom line is every player on the team has to be on the same page for the group to achieve success or have a legitimate shot at winning.

In his book, "Pulling Together", John Murphy identifies 10 rules for high performing teams and joins me on the next episode of HCL Radio to discuss them.

John describes high performing team as teams that continue to "rise up and perform at peak levels"

To hear more from John, be sure to check out "The Name on The Front of The Jersey" on HCL Radio.

To stay regularly up to date with new episodes, click on the follow button on slightly above the show description!

See you on the court!

Building A Magical Team

Having a team working together and collaborating is a fabulous way of achieving results. The determining factor really comes down to how well individual team members can co-exist and function together.

When a group isn't on the same page, you have nothing but a collective mess.

However, a well functioning team working together in unison is like a finely tuned machine producing remarkable results.

Orlando Magic Senior VP, Pat Williams really hammers this point home in his latest book, Extreme Dreams Depend on Teams.




Afterall, he'd know better than anyone else.

As co-founder of the Magic, Pat was instrumental in working with his team to bring an NBA franchise to a city that didn't have a sports arena to play in or no history of pro sports of any kind.

Their economy primarily consisted of oranges and Walt Disney.



Pat said, "You just can't do it individually, it's gotta be done as a unit. We've gotta understand how to build teams and act in a sense of collaboration."

Pat joins the next episode of HCL Radio and further elaborates on the importance of teams working together.

Plus, he'll also discuss the role a leader has in bringing it all together to make it work.

Click here to isten to the entire interview with Pat.

Thanks for reading!

Bridging The Divide

Our current workplace is very different today then it was a few years ago. There's a wider range of age groups with differing attitudes, values, and motivators working together on the same team.

Inter-generational interactions are common in the workplace and we're starting to see much more attention paid to this as analysts are studying how to make it all work.



With so much talk spent on the issues related to this new workforce, it's really easy to get caught up and overlook the fact that what we're really talking about how we get people of diverse backgrounds and interests to co-exist and function as a team.

Clearly, a non functioning team is an ineffective one whether it's in the workplace or the basketball court.

Getting people from different backgrounds on the same page is a clear and recognizable issue to many so I've called on the services of Dr. Graeme Codrington to help us make sense of it all on the next edition of HCL Radio.



One of the things he said was, "I actually think this generational stuff is more of a short hand way of talking about bigger cultural shifts and societal shifts that are taking place in the world."

Dr. Codrington is based out of London, England and is the co-founder of Tomorrow Today, a global consulting firm with a successful track record of helping companies connect with their most valuable customers and talented staff, in a manner that drives down costs and increases sales.

The good doctor is an expert on the new world of work and multi-generational workplaces. As a writer, speaker and strategy consultant, he has helped thousands of business leaders get more from their people and improve sales by understanding how to influence others.

Join us on the next episode of HCL Radio as Dr. Codrington helps us break down this truly global phenomenon.



Thanks for reading!

The Match-Ups

One of the things coaches pay particular attention to during the preparation process for a game is the match-ups.




As a coach, you'll want to take full advantage and exploit any and all opportunities that exist in your favour.

One of the ways you can do this is by examining the skill sets of your players and maximizing their strengths.

For example, if your team had a dominant offensive player in the centre position like Shaquille O'Neal, you'll want to design as many of the right scoring plays to give him the opportunity to fully take advantage of his strengths.

Conversely, it should be recognized that the opposing coach may try and exploit the very same match-up at the defensive end by forcing your dominant centre to cover a smaller quicker player.



IN LEADERSHIP

If you're leading a team towards completing a project, assignment or task, you'll want to try and go through a similar evaluation process.

This may prove to be challenging if time constraints exist however, the pay-offs are enormous.

It's also important to try and balance the needs of the group with the needs of the individual where at all possible.

As opposed to assigning someone the same task because they're good at it, try exposing them to something different as a way of developing new skills.

Mixing up the experiences also increases the likelihood of keeping your group engaged and the interest level up.

Through the process, you're fostering an environment of continuous learning which will reduce the risk of stagnation and boredom.


THE MA!N PO!NT

The point is that understanding your team and knowing how to evaluate their individual strengths and weaknesses is necessary when drawing up a game plan.

Once you've properly evaluated your people, you can now align their skill sets with the right situation to achieve optimum performance.

Thanks for reading!

Audley
Where developing leaders is more than just a game.

Having a Basketball Philosophy

Coaches recognize the importance of having a basketball philosophy that embodies the team's style of play.

This philosophy provides the basis for how the team will move forward and eventually be that "thing" they become known for.



Maybe you've got a speedy squad on your hands that likes to push the ball up the floor as quickly as possible?

Or are they a slower systematic kind of team that flourishes in the half court set?

Perhaps, your team's calling card is their defensive grind it out style of play?

How do you decide which way to go?

A great starting point would be to conduct an evaluation of the team's skills and abilities. Having a good understanding of what their strengths are can help determine the style most suitable for them.



Conversely you'll also have an opportunity to determine the areas of improvement.

For example, if your team is made up of athletic players who can run the floor then perhaps playing at a quicker pace is the more logical choice.

Arriving on a style of play that makes sense for the team now allows a coach an opportunity to design strategies, organize practices and select other players that fit within this framework.

When it comes to evaluating your team as a leader, the same principles apply. This becomes increasingly important for cross functioning groups with a variety of skill sets.



Ideally, leaders want a productive, high functioning and efficient team to work with. The best way to achieve this is to put its individual members in situations where their skills can be fully maximized.

THE MAIN PO!NT

Determining your team philosophy can't happen without knowing who they are first.

"Vision is the art of seeing the invisible."

— Jonathan Swift

Thanks for reading!

Audley