Who is your favorite football team?

• Do they win every game?
• Do they win every season?

When they are winning what happens?

• Does their teamwork improve?
• Do they appear to be having more fun?
• Do they draw a bigger crowd?
• Does the community get more excited about what they are doing and support them at a higher level?  

When they are losing what happens?

• Do they struggle to play well together?
• Do they focus so hard on winning that they forget to have fun?
• Is the community around them less aware and less engaged with them?

We have all watched teams win the Super Bowl one year, and fail miserably the next year.  Teams that seek to be the best don’t rest after one practice, after one win, or after one season.

• They win when they have a shared focus.
• They win when they have great teamwork.
• They win when they have trained well and when they train continuously.
• They win when each individual player remembers they are not the star of the game they are a member of a team that will win or lose together.

“ Great teams are stronger together than any of them will ever be alone.

Great teams inspire others in a virally infectious way.  People will come from miles just to get a small taste of what that extraordinary experience is like.  The Fish Mongers at Pike’s Place Fish Market in Seattle work long days, in a damp and often cold environment that smells very fishy!  Imagine how crazy it must have sounded when they decided they wanted to be WORLD FAMOUS!   Now people really do travel from around the world to see them!

Now think about where you have been as a team.  Think about where you are today as a team.  Imagine what extraordinary looks and feels like for you, for your team, for your customers, for the community…  What “crazy” ideas do you have for your team?  

“ It always seems impossible until it is done. —NELSON MANDELA

Image Credit:  iStock

Chery Gegelman is one of 21 authors from 3 countries that connected virtually and discovered a shared passion that has resulted in a new book:

The Character-Based Leader:  Instigating a leadership revolution… One person at a time.  This book encourages people everywhere to lead from WHO they are instead of WHERE they sit.