I grew up playing several sports. I started with soccer, tried baseball and basketball. Ultimately, American Football became my preferred sport. I loved the anticipation an opportunity that each play came with. With each snap of the football there was a possibility for something great to happen.
Our little league football team was a small and scrappy bunch. We were few. In fact, several times we only had just enough players show up for our games. This meant no one got a break. We lost quite a bit, but always tried our best.
A Champion Team
When I got to high school, our scrappy team had grown much larger, and we had several players coming from other schools. Our sophomore year, we were undefeated. We destroyed every team we played, sometimes by over 50 points!
For my senior year, we won the Utah state 5A championship. It was the highlight of my football career, and I will never forget it. Since then, I have often wondered what made our team so good. Sure, we had a lot of talent. But so did some of the other teams we played. In fact, the only team that beat us during the season ended up being the team we beat in the finals.
The Secret Sauce
So why were we so good? I think it was because we had something special together. We really felt like a team. Each person did not want to let the others down. We were always pushing each other forward and never bringing each other down. There was a spirit of strong togetherness and respect for each other.
I cannot exactly say why we had this bond between us. But it is something that I have had a hard time experiencing ever since.
Lost at Work
It seemed as hard as I tried in corporate world, I could never get it to happen. We never could achieve that same closeness. Sometimes we ate together, went bowling, or had a company picnic. These were a fun way to get to know coworkers on a more personal level. However, they were few and far between. Therefore, the closeness never seemed to last.
We also took training courses on personality styles, psychological safety, stakeholder management, etc. Again, a full days worth of information was quickly forgotten and difficult to put into practice. No long term effect and thus the team still remained somewhat disconnected. I always thought that there must be a better way.
The Path to Victory
While working on our business, Maximyz, my wife and CEO Rahel and I have spent many hours learning about teams and communication. I now have the knowledge that I believe explains how championship teams are formed. And I also believe that if the corporate world adopts the same methods the sports world uses, they can create champion teams in their workplace.
As I continue this blog, I will show you how to apply the tools and methods that winning sports teams use in the corporate world.
