Main Idea
What do you think of when you hear team spirit? Does the old Saturday Night Live skit come to mind? Do you care about the team or do you care about you? What is more important, you winning or your team winning?
Expansion of Idea
One of my core principles is that the team has to win in order for you to win. If you read any interview with Albert Pujols, you will find that he is not happy with this year because the Cardinals do not look like they are going to go very far, even though individually he is having a great year. The same is true in business. You may be at the absolute top of your game and yet, if the business fails, you will be out of a job. Most every successful company or team has its unsung heroes. A classic unsung hero is Radar O’Reilly on Mash. He made sure the camp ran smoothly and was deeply embarrassed when he was praised. The real key to his character was his eagerness to make sure everyone else was able to do their jobs.
What does this look like in a small business?
It is the employee who checks on another employee who was sick at work.
It is the leader who gives credit to his team.
It is the team member who acknowledges his teammate.
It is cleaning up someone else’s mess that they did not realize that they made.
It is taking out the trash when it is not your job.
It is doing that one extra step for a boss who doesn’t realize the amount of extra work it took.
It is spending the extra 10 minutes explaining a new process to a team member so that they truly understand what they are doing.
It is encouraging each other in good times and especially in bad times.
It is collectively taking responsibility for a problem even if one person created it.
Team Spirit can be a lot of things. Mainly, it is wanting to help each other succeed.
Questions to Ask Yourself
How would you assess your team spirit?
Are you eager to help your team succeed?
How would you assess your team’s spirit?
How can you help someone else succeed?
What do you need to stop doing that is creating roadblocks for someone else?
Are you working to serve or to be served?