March 17, 2010 - Do You Have Better Talent or Better Teamwork?

Main Idea

Have you filled out your NCAA bracket?  Can anyone really guess how the games will play out?  Who do you think will win it all? 

Expansion of Idea

This week of the year is one of my favorite times of the year.  (If it weren’t for tax season, it would be perfect.)  The main reason for my excitement is college basketball.  The NCAA championships start tomorrow and anything goes.  The games are exciting.  There is heartbreak and exhilaration.  There are upsets and blowout wins.  If you look at the wins and losses, you normally can see one of two things.  Either the team with the better talent wins, or the team, that plays better as a team, wins. 

It is really fun when a lower seeded team beats a favorite.  Why did they win?  Teamwork can beat talent.  However, talent wins most of the time.  The key is when you combine talent and teamwork.  Then you have some truly special games.  The same is true for our businesses.  When we hire talented people, train them, coach them, nurture them and teach them to work well with others, we can have truly amazing results for our businesses.  When we make the most out of our talent and teamwork, then we are winners.  It is everyone’s responsibility to develop their talent and teamwork and to work with the coach to improve.  That is what life is all about. 

Questions to ask yourself

  1. How can I develop my talent?

  2. How can I develop the talent of my team?

  3. How can I better work with my team?