The last time we met, I challenged you to build an Extreme Team, not just dream about having one. This week, I'm taking it a step further by focusing on four critical dimensions that your Extreme Team must develop. These dimensions are:
1) Create the ability to think insightfully about complex issues as a group;
2) Take innovative, coordinated action;
3) Have a significant impact on other teams; and
4) Institute strong coaching and adequate practice time.
These dimensions are not mutually exclusive, but rather interconnected and interdependent. For example, a team with strong coaching and adequate practice time is more likely to think insightfully about complex issues and be better equipped to take innovative, coordinated action, which will in turn have a significant impact on overall business outcomes.
There is a real and present need for global teams to think insightfully and creatively about complex issues. I recently spoke with a noted colleague about the evolution of organizations over the past 20 years - we discussed how complex success has become, and how leaders must now have teams that can drive Extreme Results. It's no longer enough for you to present a business case to your boss or lobby the Board of Directors for funding for a large project with no accountability to deliver - you also need to develop a team that can drive Extreme Results. This requires the team to be insightful and innovative enough to look at possibilities from every angle, using the expertise and excellence of every team member to explore and exploit every opportunity. Teams must learn how to tap the potential of many minds so that the sum of the whole is more intelligent than a single intellect. This is an obvious deduction to make, however there are significant, less evolved forces at work in organizations that are eager to make the collective intelligence of the team "less than" the intelligence of the individual – you will always have those who believe theirs is the only perspective that matters.
However, innovative, coordinated action on the part of a team, not to mention the organization, has the potential to be the equivalent of winning it all. Championship sports teams provide excellent metaphors for acting in spontaneous, yet coordinated, ways. Take, for example, the 1970 Brazil team, led by the legendary football icon Pelé (who passed in 2022). They are often regarded as the best football team ever. Their success was not solely due to individual brilliance, but rather the cohesive teamwork that brought together players with diverse skills and strengths. The team's style emphasized flexibility and creativity, but also demonstrated that without a strong collective effort, individual brilliance counts for nothing. The Brazil team demonstrated how individuals can come together to achieve a common goal. Each player brought unique skills and strengths to the table, but the team was tied together by a shared vision and a commitment to working together instilled by their coach, Mario Zagallo.
We should encourage individual brilliance and create an environment where individual strengths are intertwined to achieve collective team goals.
Just as Pelé and the Brazilian goalkeeper did not have the same skillset, neither should everyone on any team. Adaptability and fluidity are essential qualities for successful teams in the workplace.
This lesson from the Brazil team can be applied to any team or organization. By embracing diversity and individuality, teams can create a powerful synergy that drives success. By fostering an environment where individuals feel valued and empowered to contribute their unique strengths, teams can achieve far more than they could alone. We should all take a cue from the 1970 Brazilian team and strive to create an environment where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Extreme Teams in organizations develop the same dynamic, with each player learning from and leveraging the other talent on the team. Every member can be counted on to act in a way that contributes to exceeding expectations. This is "operational trust" - the X factor that sets Extreme Teams apart. When teams trust each other to act in a way that enhances the overall outcome, they can achieve far more than they could individually.
Extreme Team learning and growth is above all else, a collective discipline that requires ongoing practice and Extreme Coaching. Unfortunately, teams in organizations today often lack the exceptional leadership of a value-add coach, who provides insight and capacity to navigate between the practice field and the playing field. Imagine a championship sports team with no Head Coach and without the ability to practice. There is little likelihood the team will get to the final game in the World Cup if they are out there playing together for the first time, with no ability to align themselves, correct misperceptions and mistakes, and respond to insightful and knowledgeable coaching. The reality is that the mechanism used to create winning teams is the ability to learn together and leverage the collective intellect. The ability to win the big game requires continual movement between the practice field and the playing field, as well as an Extreme Coach that will facilitate Extreme Team growth and advancement toward the ultimate goal - the Big Game. There is little opportunity for any team to emerge without a balance between strong coaching, practice, and leveraged play time.
So, are you going to do to facilitate and leverage EXTREME TEAMS in your organization?
Are you going to invest in the development of your team members, providing them with the training and resources they need to succeed? Are you going to create a culture of innovation and experimentation, where teams are encouraged to take risks and try new things? Are you going to provide strong coaching and support to help your teams overcome obstacles and achieve their goals?
Please engage the discussion and let us know how developing an Extreme Team will help you to accelerate your career and your business. Feel free to contact me at SheriLMackey@gmail.com. Visit again soon for new editions of Leadership Across Boundaries & Borders.
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