Unity and Great Teamwork By Jon Gordon Before I spoke to the Atlanta Falcons during pre-season I had the opportunity to spend some time with Mike Smith, the head football coach. Coach Smith had been on the coaching staff of the Baltimore Ravens when they won the super bowl in 2001 and he has coached other teams since. Knowing he would have a unique perspective on what makes a team, a great team I asked him what he thought was the difference between a great football team that wins the super bowl and an average team that doesn’t. His answer was one simple word. UNITY Unity is the key. Whether we’re talking about a sports team, work team, school team, health care team, church team, or home based business team, it’s essential that we get everyone on the bus and moving in the right direction with a shared vision, focus, purpose and direction. When a team comes together they are able to succeed together. But if unity is so important then why aren’t more teams more united you might ask? Why are there so few great teams and so many average and dysfunctional teams? The answer is simple. It’s not easy to bring people together. Agendas, egos, politics, power struggles, negativity, energy vampires, poor leadership, mismanagement, complaining, and a lack of vision, focus and purpose all prevent a team from uniting and performing at their highest level. The bad news is that there are hundreds of negative forces and factors that can sabotage your organization, teamwork, unity and success. The good news is that unified teams show us it is possible to overcome them. Unity happens when leaders are committed to and engaged in the process of building a united, winning team. It requires focus, time, and energy. Unity occurs when team members care more about the vision, purpose and health of the organization than they do their own personal agenda. Changing the mindset is essential. Unity happens when each person on the team can clearly see how their personal vision and effort contributes to the overall vision and success of the team. This involves meaningful conversations. And Unity results when you weed out the negativity that sabotages far too many organizations. The great news is that I don’t write this based on theory but rather from experience having witnessed the process of unification in countless organizations. In fact I wish I could share with you all the emails I receive from people who have utilized The Energy Bus to unify their teams. I don’t want to share this with you to impress you, but to show you that there are leaders who are doing what you want to do and teams that have come together like you know you can. I was able to provide a proven tool and plan that works and these leaders and their teams committed themselves to the process. I have heard from CEO’s who have increased their productivity and performance by 30%. I have heard from hospitals who say they can tell which members of their staff are on the bus and who is off the bus. I have heard from principals of schools who said their morale and unity were at an all time high. I’ve received emails from customer service teams that have won company-wide awards for their teamwork, results and positive energy. It’s truly a rewarding feeling to bring people together and best of all it leads to positive results. I wish that for you and your team. To help you unify your team we now offer a number of resources including past newsletters, articles, books, and recently launched private workshops for your organization.
Additional Articles: Staying Positive in a Negative Economy Get the Right People on the Bus How Much Is Negativity Costing You and Your Company? The Greatest Sales Strategy Ever
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