With football season now well under way, we can break out all the great sports cliches that apply to leadership and then try to figure out if they are really impactful or, like the cannon on the field at Texas A&M home games, just blowing smoke with no ammo.
Let’s start by reconsidering this one: There is no “I” in team.
Like lots of other one-line words of wisdom, this one requires some context if it’s going to provide leaders with any significant value, because while there’s no “I” in the word team, every team is made up of individuals. And even though “it’s not about me” is the worthy mantra of servant leadership, it takes a group of I’s to make a team.
It’s interesting that one of the most successful team-builders in our modern age approached the task by starting with the I’s – the individuals on his teams. Take a look at what Nick Saban said earlier this year during the Global Leadership Summit: “My process as a coach always began with, How do I develop the individuals on the team?”
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Saban used that process to win a bunch of college football games, including seven national titles. And he did it by doing what all great leaders do: He got to know his players, helped them identify their personal goals that aligned with the team’s goals, and helped them with a process to achieve their individual goals.
The trick is to acknowledge that individuals have needs and dreams and then, as a servant leader, to help them grow and reach their goals in ways that benefit the team and the organization.
Saban created a process for every individual in the organization. They bought into the process because they believed it would support their personal goals and dreams, which inevitably included success as a team. Then they were willing to do what they needed to get better individually and to sacrifice when needed for the good of the team.
“I wanted people to stay focused on what they could control on a day-to-day basis,” he said. “That would also create value for the team.”
The process was personalized but contained common elements:
- Self-discipline to do what you are supposed to do even when you don’t want to do it and not do what you’re not supposed to do even when you do want to do it.
- Gratitude for the opportunity to pursue your goals.
- Accountability to yourself and your teammates.
- Passion for your craft.
- Perseverance to work through frustrations and learn from setbacks.
- Pride in your performance.
When individuals stuck to that process, it resulted in individual champions, and, Saban said, “If we have a team full of champions, we’ll win a championship.”
To me, myself, and I, that sounds like a winning plan for a team!
