Comments on: The Importance Of A Team http://www.zoomstart.com/the-importance-of-a-team/ Start Something Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:31:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Rajesh Shakya http://www.zoomstart.com/the-importance-of-a-team/#comment-828 Rajesh Shakya Tue, 22 May 2007 07:21:08 +0000 http://www.zoomstart.com/2007/05/18/the-importance-of-a-team/#comment-828 Hi All: Could not stop myself participating in the discussion. The team with the best players wins, so find and retain the best players whatever way you can. To retain the best players, you may have to overpay him/her. Rajesh Shakya http://www.rajeshshakya.com Hi All:
Could not stop myself participating in the discussion.

The team with the best players wins, so find and retain the best players whatever way you can. To retain the best players, you may have to overpay him/her.

Rajesh Shakya
http://www.rajeshshakya.com

]]> By: Shane http://www.zoomstart.com/the-importance-of-a-team/#comment-813 Shane Mon, 21 May 2007 09:45:55 +0000 http://www.zoomstart.com/2007/05/18/the-importance-of-a-team/#comment-813 Steve, Thanks for bringing your expertise to the discussion. It's a great point you make. Every time you change some members of a team (even when you bring in better skilled indiviuals), there's a settling period. The team has to learn how to be a team again. And a lot of times when you throw a bunch of superstars together they have a harder time gelling as a team because they're all so driven to outperform each other. Steve,

Thanks for bringing your expertise to the discussion. It’s a great point you make. Every time you change some members of a team (even when you bring in better skilled indiviuals), there’s a settling period.

The team has to learn how to be a team again.

And a lot of times when you throw a bunch of superstars together they have a harder time gelling as a team because they’re all so driven to outperform each other.

]]> By: Steve Roesler http://www.zoomstart.com/the-importance-of-a-team/#comment-808 Steve Roesler Mon, 21 May 2007 03:56:21 +0000 http://www.zoomstart.com/2007/05/18/the-importance-of-a-team/#comment-808 Good example, Shane. One of the fundamentals of group dynamics is this: every time one individual leaves or one individual enters a group, it has to "re-group" before it can get back to a high level of performance. Groups--and teams--operate off of an equilibrium that develops over time. Change the equilibrium, you change the performance. Individuals coming and going may add individual performance in a specific way--but that doesn't automatically equate with better team performance. Good example, Shane.

One of the fundamentals of group dynamics is this: every time one individual leaves or one individual enters a group, it has to “re-group” before it can get back to a high level of performance. Groups–and teams–operate off of an equilibrium that develops over time. Change the equilibrium, you change the performance.

Individuals coming and going may add individual performance in a specific way–but that doesn’t automatically equate with better team performance.

]]> By: Shane http://www.zoomstart.com/the-importance-of-a-team/#comment-800 Shane Sat, 19 May 2007 19:05:28 +0000 http://www.zoomstart.com/2007/05/18/the-importance-of-a-team/#comment-800 Hey Martin, The hockey analogy is good because it shows how the shift in sports has gone from an emphasis on teams to individuals over the last 30 years. And the outcome of that ... which is that even a great team has trouble sticking together to dominate the top position for several years in a row. Hey Martin,

The hockey analogy is good because it shows how the shift in sports has gone from an emphasis on teams to individuals over the last 30 years. And the outcome of that … which is that even a great team has trouble sticking together to dominate the top position for several years in a row.

]]> By: Community Building Blog http://www.zoomstart.com/the-importance-of-a-team/#comment-795 Community Building Blog Sat, 19 May 2007 13:09:08 +0000 http://www.zoomstart.com/2007/05/18/the-importance-of-a-team/#comment-795 Another interesting article. Team working is so important; your example of the Stanley Cup teams really helps bring things into perspective. No individual is better than the team as a whole - more people could do with remembering that! - Martin Reed Another interesting article. Team working is so important; your example of the Stanley Cup teams really helps bring things into perspective.

No individual is better than the team as a whole - more people could do with remembering that!

- Martin Reed

]]> By: Shane http://www.zoomstart.com/the-importance-of-a-team/#comment-790 Shane Sat, 19 May 2007 07:03:16 +0000 http://www.zoomstart.com/2007/05/18/the-importance-of-a-team/#comment-790 Hi David, Very thought provoking comments. The Alan Watts Zen quote seemed very counterintiutive at first (which always makes me look at something closer) ... if you're living in the moment and appreciating what you've got right now, then you've got true stability. When the future shows up, you're still in the moment when it arrives. And maybe this is the mindest that can keep a team together and make big things happen "as a team" because they're focusing on what they're doing today. Not how they're going to leverage it as indiviuals tomorrow. I agree, change happens. It has too. What I'm never jazzed about is short term thinking. The bigger issue is when people or companies have one goal: to spin a quick buck ... teams suffer. Integrity suffers. The environment, the quality of a product, relationships, and everything that we "say" is important to us suffers with short term thinking. Thanks for making me think! Hi David,

Very thought provoking comments. The Alan Watts Zen quote seemed very counterintiutive at first (which always makes me look at something closer) …

if you’re living in the moment and appreciating what you’ve got right now, then you’ve got true stability. When the future shows up, you’re still in the moment when it arrives. And maybe this is the mindest that can keep a team together and make big things happen “as a team” because they’re focusing on what they’re doing today. Not how they’re going to leverage it as indiviuals tomorrow.

I agree, change happens. It has too. What I’m never jazzed about is short term thinking. The bigger issue is when people or companies have one goal: to spin a quick buck … teams suffer. Integrity suffers. The environment, the quality of a product, relationships, and everything that we “say” is important to us suffers with short term thinking.

Thanks for making me think!

]]> By: David Zinger http://www.zoomstart.com/the-importance-of-a-team/#comment-788 David Zinger Sat, 19 May 2007 06:16:37 +0000 http://www.zoomstart.com/2007/05/18/the-importance-of-a-team/#comment-788 I wonder. Perhaps stable teams are really a thing of the past and the central function of a leader may be to be able to bring out the best of what you have while you have it as you recognize things might change quickly. Hence the need to wear a rainbow of hats! I crave stability and permanence but perhaps the leader of today must embrace impermanence, instability, uncertainty, and complexity. I have always been attracted to Alan Watts Zen quote: If you make where you are going more important than where you are there may be no point in going. Perhaps the strength of the team is acceptance of what you have while you have it. I loved John Wooden's line: Don't let what you cannot do intefer with what you can. Okay, I went off on a few tangents here but perhaps leaders of today must work with tangents rather than certainty. Thank you so much for a post that really got me thinking. David Zinger I wonder.

Perhaps stable teams are really a thing of the past and the central function of a leader may be to be able to bring out the best of what you have while you have it as you recognize things might change quickly. Hence the need to wear a rainbow of hats!

I crave stability and permanence but perhaps the leader of today must embrace impermanence, instability, uncertainty, and complexity.

I have always been attracted to Alan Watts Zen quote: If you make where you are going more important than where you are there may be no point in going.

Perhaps the strength of the team is acceptance of what you have while you have it. I loved John Wooden’s line: Don’t let what you cannot do intefer with what you can.

Okay, I went off on a few tangents here but perhaps leaders of today must work with tangents rather than certainty.

Thank you so much for a post that really got me thinking.

David Zinger

]]> By: Shane http://www.zoomstart.com/the-importance-of-a-team/#comment-785 Shane Fri, 18 May 2007 22:36:04 +0000 http://www.zoomstart.com/2007/05/18/the-importance-of-a-team/#comment-785 You're exactly right Gregg, A team is not just a collection of the "greatest" people, it's a collection of the greatest people that complement each other. You’re exactly right Gregg,

A team is not just a collection of the “greatest” people, it’s a collection of the greatest people that complement each other.

]]> By: Business Twins http://www.zoomstart.com/the-importance-of-a-team/#comment-780 Business Twins Fri, 18 May 2007 16:21:25 +0000 http://www.zoomstart.com/2007/05/18/the-importance-of-a-team/#comment-780 Look at the Yankees..They've spent hundreds of millions of more dollars on "great" players and haven't won a world series with that lineup yet! I agree, the higher salaries are benefiting the individuals and not the team as a whole... :( WIth a team, you need to make sure everyone bonds and can work together. With 1 bad apple in the bunch, the "team" atmosphere can be ruined. -Gregg Look at the Yankees..They’ve spent hundreds of millions of more dollars on “great” players and haven’t won a world series with that lineup yet! I agree, the higher salaries are benefiting the individuals and not the team as a whole… :(

WIth a team, you need to make sure everyone bonds and can work together. With 1 bad apple in the bunch, the “team” atmosphere can be ruined.

-Gregg

]]> By: Shane http://www.zoomstart.com/the-importance-of-a-team/#comment-773 Shane Fri, 18 May 2007 07:30:18 +0000 http://www.zoomstart.com/2007/05/18/the-importance-of-a-team/#comment-773 Hey Robin, That's a great solution to a tough problem. I don't know if it stops the high calibre talent leakage ... but if everybody did this then it would slow it down quite a bit I think. This is one idea around salary caps ... The best of the best can take advantage of endorsements, but their personal success is dependent somewhat on the performance of the whole team, and there's no financial benefit to leaving a great team for a higher salary because of the cap. It's more difficult to apply this model to business, but probably not impossible with some creativity. Hey Robin,

That’s a great solution to a tough problem. I don’t know if it stops the high calibre talent leakage … but if everybody did this then it would slow it down quite a bit I think. This is one idea around salary caps …

The best of the best can take advantage of endorsements, but their personal success is dependent somewhat on the performance of the whole team, and there’s no financial benefit to leaving a great team for a higher salary because of the cap.

It’s more difficult to apply this model to business, but probably not impossible with some creativity.

]]>