Another Individual Mistake Sabotages “Teamwork” in U.S.-England Tie at World Cup

Teamwork never breaks down.

Teamwork never fails.

This again was proved in Saturday’s U.S. vs. England World Cup tournament opener.

Despite outstanding teamwork that allowed the stronger team from England to control the ball for 57 percent of the game, they left their opening game with a disappointing 1-1 tie.

The reason? A misplay by England goalkeeper Robert Green on a shot by Clint Dempsey of the U.S. allowed the tying goal late in the first half.

It’s plays like this that continue to reinforce my belief that breakdowns in what many consider “teamwork” rarely are the cause of achieving desired organizational performance results.

Teamwork is a buzzword in corporate america that continues to ask  employees to strive for. They strive for ways to breakdown silohs that build up due to competition over resources between divisions and departments.

Yet, these requests, proclamations and teambuilding initiatives continually fail. They fail because the focus is mis-directed.

Teamwork fails in organizations and in athletics not because people do not understand the importance of working together so that “Together Everyone Achieves More.”

Teamwork fails for three reasons:

1) The rewards and benefits of giving of oneself for the betterment of the group/team are not strongly enough aligned for the individual to do so;

2) The rewards and benefits of giving of oneself for the betterment of the group/team actually create greater competition for resources between those who are supposed to be working together to share those resources.

3) One individual on o the team “drops the ball” (or fails to perform the necessary task or assignment) as England Goalkeeper Robert Green did in attempting to protect his goal against the U.S. in their opening World Cup match yesterday;

On athletic teams, when team members fail to perform to expectations and make mistakes that cost their teammates there is usually tremendous despair on the part of the teammate who didn’t perform.

In today’s Wall St. Journal, Robert Green was quoted “It was obviously a horrible mistake, a terrible mistake,” said Mr. Green, bobbing his head incredulously after the game. He blamed neither the controversial new ball, the bounciest ever, nor the slickness of the pitch, and said his teammates left him alone after the mishap. “People don’t say anything. You know you made a mistake. You’ve got to deal with it.”

Yet, in many business situations, few individuals who fail to support their team members in situations when teamwork is required feel as though they’ve let anyone down, because many times they are performing in their own self-interests or truly have a blind spot and do not realize the negative impact of their parochialism.

If you would like to learn more about how to truly improve teamwork in your organization I want to know about it.

I’m presently working on a new White Paper titled, “The Myth of Teamwork - Why Teamwork Breaks Down and What Organizational Leaders Can Do About It.”

Click this link and order the White Paper and you will receive notification as soon as it is ready for you to download, read and begin applying to improve teamwork in your workplace.

Procrastination Comes In Many Forms, But Not Really

My laugh of the day, many of you will all appreciate this…

I received a call late this afternoon from the mother of a recently graduated Law School Student, who has already passed the bar exam.

She was asking if I would help him with “career coaching.” When I told her that was not my specialty and referred her to another coach, she asked me about my Procrastination Coaching, which I said, “now, that’s a different story.”

She proceeded to explain to me about her son’s habit of procrastination that has kept him from obtaining an internship to gain experience in his chosen profession and is now costing him valuable time in finding a job in a tough and crowded marketplace in a down economy.

Mom had done enough research online about procrastination to know that her son’s issue, a self-proclaimed “perfectionist” is based in fear. His procrastination habit, as with most “perfectionists” was based in fear of being judged and rejection. It’s a common pattern.

After about a 15-minute discussion I told my minimum fee for a minimum 90-day coaching program after which she gulpedcontinued the discussion, which went like this:

ME: I will only agree to a coaching arrangement after I speak with him to determine if he is coachable and someone I could work with to get results.

HER: Oh, do you want his phone number?

ME: Umm, you are asking me to call someone with a habit of procrastination to ask him if he wants me to coach him? Do you see the irony in that request? NO, this is the beginning of his lesson to break through procrastination. If he is serious about being coached he can call me if and when he’s ready to do something about it. I only work with clients who know they need help and want that help to get better.”

I did tell her to let him know that whenever he calls it will be a “judgment free” zone and we will work on the basis of a complete blank slate.

We’ll see if he calls (of course, according to mom, he’s going on vacation with his girlfriend on Wednesday and won’t be back ’til July 10th so he “probably won’t call ’til after he gets back). We’ll see. I’ll keep you posted.

Championship Lessons From the Two Newest Champs

Two things that make an organization a true Champion is consistency and resiliency. Those traits exemplify the two most recent Champions crowned in North America’s winter long professional sports leagues, the National Basketball Association’s Los Angeles Lakers and the National Hockey League’s Pittsburgh Penquins.

Consistency is the Lakers’ trait, for sure. The franchise has won 15 NBA Championships in its history and nine in the last 29 years, since 1980, winning five in the 80’s and four since 2000. Their coach, Phil Jackson, now has 10 NBA Championships on his coaching resume after winning six with the Michael Jordan led Chicago Bulls in the 90’s before moving to Los Angeles to start a new dynasty with the Lakers.

The Pittsburgh Penguins on the other hand have been the resilient franchise. After winning two Stanley Cup Championships in the early 90’s with Hall of Fame Center Mario Lemieux leading the way, the team struggled in the early part of this decade rebuilding its player personnel and fighting to financially stay alive.

Lemieux saved the franchise for the city of Pittsburgh by putting together and ownership group and becoming its managing partner. He has since negotiated with the city for a new arena to replace the antiquated Civic Arena. Lemieux’s hockey personnel have rebuilt the team by taking advantage of top draft picks and adeptly identifying role players that make the sum greater than their individual parts.

Which is a great lesson for all of us looking to build Champion Organizations, when you focus on team members strengths and put them in positions to leverage their what they do best, a team without a lot of superstar performers can achieve great things (in the case of the Penguins the mixed three superstar performers Centers Sydney Crosby and Evgeni Makin and goaltender Marc-Andre Fluery with a superb supporting cast).

The Lakers took the much the same approach by leaning on superstar Kobe Bryant but looking to teammates to step up and lead the way when called upon.

Now, there’s a recipe for Championship success. Where are the opportunities in your organization to do similar work?

How to Be Motivated & Fulfilled Like a Champion Every Day

50 Hours ‘Til New Site Launch

In just 50 hours my new website will be launched. Everyone who visits the website will have an opportunity to order a FREE CD “The 3 Strategies of Champion Organizations!”

This site is dedicated to business leaders and leaders on non-profits who want to create a motivated, engaged, and enthusiastic workforce. It’s been proven by research that companies with highly engaged employees outperform those with low morale staffs by at least 20%. You can learn more about that research and strategies to help businesses achieve that difference when you listen to the CD and read the accompanying White Paper on which the CD is based.

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