Championship Teams

March is heavy on sporting events and with all the competitiveness in the air, it got me thinking about teamwork. Whether it be hockey, basketball, baseball or even racing (which I don’t particularly enjoy), I noticed several similarities that exist with winning teams. With further intrigue, I watched some events purposefully to observe actions and behaviors (no stakes on the actual outcome) and here’s what I saw which is directly applicable to the workplace:

1. They’re all after the same goal
2. They’re committed to the sport and they play to win
3. They work hard. They’re 100% in, 100% of the time
4. They each have their designated role based on their strengths
5. They trust each other
6. They rely on each other and know that each role has a purpose
7. They’re focused
8. They support the teammate that fails and congratulate the teammate that succeeds
9. They succeed and fail over and over again
10. They never give up, even if they’re behind with little chance of winning
11. They’re strong under pressure
12. They make quick decisions and move quickly on their feet
13. They communicate with each other
14. They move on from setbacks quickly
15. They speak well of their teammates and opponents
16. They receive tough love from coaches and each other
17. They give feedback to each other to help each other get better
18. They sometimes fight but they work through it
19. They take their work seriously and have fun at the same time
20. They win and lose, as a team

If you were to measure yourself against these, how would you stack up against being a good teammate? How would your team rank?