By Mike Conway
Just before the latest Sydney lockdown I was working with a group of senior executives from a global medical group. The focus: building trust in their newly merged team. During the program we discussed what makes a great team. There was a healthy debate about this which led to me sharing observations and hallmarks from two studies.
The first came from Rosabeth Kanter who undertook a landmark study of hundreds of teams to unearth the answer. Teams included: Philadelphia Eagles; University of Connecticut basketball team; Continental Airlines; BBC; the New England Patriots; NY Mets and Yankees the Red Sox; Chicago Cubs, the Anaheim Might Ducks and from here the Australian Cricket team. Here is the summary of her key observations:
Face facts and reinforce responsibilities
Cultivate deep collaboration
Inspire initiative and innovation
Lead a Nation or team from despair to hope.
The research is a wonderful read. You might want to check it out: “Confidence: Leadership and the Psychology of Turnarounds.” Rosabeth Kanter. 2008
The second study: XVenture’s 100 Leaders program of 2015. 100 contemporary leaders interviewed with a key question being asked: “What are the hallmarks of a great team?” These leaders included Steve Waugh; Laura Geitz; Ozharvest’s Ronnie Kahn; Kokoda expert and Vietnam vet Charlie Lynn; Mandela’s bodyguard Rory Steyn; Westpac Bank Board member Audette Exel; Spotify CEO Jane Huxley; Amazon/Facebook digital media lead Chris Adams. Their list was as follows
Passionate for the cause
Emotionally agile
Resilient, adaptable & innovative
Listeners & collaborators
Practice mentality
A caring and trusting environment
Enjoy and celebrate
Constant improvement in what they do
What do you think of these? Any additions? Any subtractions? How do you stack up?
Following this we discussed our own experiences of great team environments. Now I’ve been around for a few years but truthfully there are only a handful of great teams I’ve been involved in which can stack up against these list: Kids Hospital planning team, Westmead, EY UK, The Wiggles, XVenture tv and Essential skills teams; and the virtually untouchable Sydney FC. You will have your own experiences no doubt. What did you learn from them?
This week my focus turned to another truly great team. The Rolling Stones. They have lost a key member, Charlie Watts who metaphorically and actively kept the beat of the team. I had the great fortune of playing guitar for their support act in a major festival in Hong Kong in 2005. A landmark memory for me. In a couple of short meetings with Charlie, I gained a real sense of an unassuming, humble soul. His contribution often unnoticed was immense. He like the rest of the band were down to earth, and clearly loved their work. What a loss.
So, what now for the Rolling Stones? Well, typical of them,, they’ve already built continuity into their World, improving and growing despite the changes in line ups over many years. No one can replace Charlie Watts but Steve Jordan, a young 64 who has been part of the Rolling Stones inner circle since 1986 steps into the role for their tour across the USA in September.
Cross reference all the hallmarks I’ve mentioned in the two studies above and there’s no question the Rolling Stones hit the mark. By any measure they are a truly great team. Add in continuity; nearly 60 years at the top; the desire to be together; to stay together; to commit together. Each individual brings unique gifts. On their own they are very little. Together, they are a force of nature. As Aristotle said: “the sum is greater than the parts.”
How does your team stack up against the very best? How do you compare to the two study hallmarks? How do you bring your best game to make our team great? How do you help make your team a force of nature?
Have a great day.
If you’re interested in finding out how we've virtually supported teams across the globe from business, sport and education in developing skills for dealing with uncertainty and adaptability, check out XVenture Mind Games - our web-based remote Virtual Reality competitive team-based solution at www.xvmindgames.com.
Image: Hong Kong 2005. At this meeting, Ron Wood asked me for my Mambo shirt which he loved!
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