"GO TEAM GO"

I love good teamwork. Teamwork is a dimension to life or work that seems rare to me. I watch a fair amount of high school basketball and it is fun to watch a team that passes the ball to the open teammate, really helps on defense and plays the game where five players are acting as one. Last night I watched a game, two players on one team just took turns going one on five against the other defense, while the rest of the teammates stood around and watched.

I am always looking for lessons and teachable moments in everyday life... and this is a lesson for all of us who need to build and work with teams.

You can't have a team, unless everyone is INVOLVED. People love to be counted on, it means we think they are competent. I think this is called empowering.

One thing I notice about good basketball teams is that in the hustle and frenetic pace of a game, they still communicate. They talk on "D" and they make sure each player is in the right spot on offense. So too for teams in the workplace. Our lives are hectic and the workplace can be very busy, but great teams make communication a high priority. They formalize great communication, they don't leave it to chance.

If you are a micro-manager, stop it! You are like the ball hog in basketball going one one five with everyone else standing around watching. If this is the way you play the game you will lose more than you win.