Goal Driven Consulting
Tips on how to be a winning team
In sport organizations, the main goal of every team is to win championships. In business and other non-sporting organizations, winning games in the form of reaching deadlines, achieving major goals, sealing a major deal, overcoming obstacles, making profit, is the main thing.
If you have ever been part of a successful team, you know how great it feels to be on the winning team. A winning team is a winning team on the basis of fundamental factors that make it a winning team. Let us have a closer look at the following factors that make a team win:
1. The right coach
Look at any team that has achieved great success, you will find that it has a strong coach. The responsibility of the coach is to provide good leadership that motivates and influences the team to perform to their fullest potential. Winning teams have winning coaches.
2. The right players
The right coach without the right players will find it difficult to win games or championships. The combination of right coach and the right players with talent and skill constitutes a winning team.
The most important responsibility of the coach is to choose right players who will add much value to the team.
3. Caring attitude
Great teams have members who care for one another. The legendary American football coach, Vince Lombardi remarked, "If you are going to play together as a team, you've got to care for one another. You've got to love one another."
Caring attitude produces a cohesive force in the team. When team members care for one another, they position themselves to win. Caring attitude among team members makes the support system to be strong and effective on the team.
4. The big picture
The is no team that can be successful without having a vision. A team vision shows the team members where they are going . Team members begin to have a sense of direction and purpose when the vision is clearly communicated by the leader.
When the team leader motivates team members to focus on the big picture, the team will play to win. The big picture is what matters the most for winning to be a norm on the team. Winning teams have members whose eyes are fixed on the picture.
5. Right position
Successful teams are made up of players who play according to their area of strength, talent, expertise and skills. For example, in soccer, you can't take a goal keeper and make him play as a striker (The one who scores goals), he will be ineffective because that is not his area of strength.
A team cannot succeed and win if its players are not placed in their position of strength. It is impossible for a team player to perform to his or her fullest potential if he or she is placed in a wrong position.
The right position for each player in a team puts a team in the right position to achieve great results.
6. Good preparation
Good preparation is a great confidence booster for the team members. It energizes the team and it keeps players fit and strong.
I have learned that many battles are first won in the mind before they are won in reality. Mental strength enables the team to tackle projects that look impossible in the eye.
If your team is going to be a winning team, you are going to take them to training in the form of growth and development programs like skill development. Take them to seminars and conferences that will provide them with good preparation to win in their team.
A well prepared team is always ready to tackle any challenge or project that comes its way.
7. Communication
Communication is a process of interaction, conflict resolution, decision making and creating positive change on the team.
Effective teams are characterized by members who communicate well with one another. Team members also communicate well with their leaders.
Good communication makes team members bond and it enables them to have a team mindest. It provides teammates with a good understanding of one another. Leadership expert and author, John C. Maxwell quipped, "Communication increases commitment and connection; they in turn fuel action."
Every team, whether it is a business, a company, a family, a department or a ministry can be effective and successful with good communication. Good communication is thus the basis for success of every team.
8. Commitment
Commitment is about being loyal to people on the team and being there for others when they fail, or when they need your help. Winning teams are full of committed players. They are committed to achieving team goals no matter the cost. They know that commitment always precedes success, winning, effectiveness and excellence.
Commitment enables team members to put team desire, team goals, team agenda , team interests and team needs above their own desire, agenda, interests and needs. Committed players give their all to the team. Commitment puts a team in a position to perform extraordinarily. It makes team members go extra mile for their team.
9. High morale
High morale is the desire, drive, and enthusiasm to perform with excellence and to achieve desired goals. Winning teams have the atmosphere electrified with high morale.
High morale in a team, puts team members in the better position to play to their potential. It brings motivation to team members. When the entire team is highly motivated, nothing can stop them from achieving team goals.
High morale fuels commitment and confidence in the team. It gives the team more energy to keep going and going. No project seems too difficult, no mountain seems too high, no river seems too hard to cross when there is high morale in the team.
10. Consistency
Consistency is the ability to stick to the same great and excellent standard of action and behaviour.
There is a difference between winning and keep winning. Winning teams know that they don't have to only play to win but to keep winning. They know they must be consistent in their performance standard of winning.
Conclusion
I would like to take this moment to say that you need to be in the winning team. It takes the combination of the above factors for any team to win. Every coach enjoys coaching a winning team. All that you need to do as a leader, as a team player, is to pay the price to contribute towards your team winning.
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