Teamership is the strength of the team
Our job in teams is to bring our best and encourage others to bring theirs. Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash
One of my favourite quotes on teams of all time is from Phil Jackson. He is a basketball coach from the USA and has won 11 championships with two separate teams. He came to prominence again in 2020 through the Netflix series on the 1997/98 Chicago Bulls season called The Last Dance. Here is what Phil Jackson has been quoted as saying…
‘The strength of the team is each member.
The strength of each member is the team.’
I love this. I love, love, love this.
It has such depth and value. It speaks directly to the fact that our teams need the best of each of us and that the best of each of us is a reflection of the people that we are surrounded by. Our job in teams is to bring our best and encourage others to bring theirs. Keeping this pithy phrase in mind helps teams and team members focus on what it takes to reach great heights.
This is at the core of teamership as a concept. It speaks to the fact that strong teams need highly committed individuals and that individuals benefit from an environment where their contribution is valued and makes a difference.
It’s a valuable reminder of the fact that individual behaviour does not happen in isolation. For each of us, our decisions and actions are strongly impacted by the environment (both physical and social) in which we find ourselves. It reminds me of the “laws of human behaviour”, which I have written about previously.
In particular, the second law is a good reminder in the context of Teamership. Law 2 states:
Behaviour is a function of the person and their environment
The second law helps remind us that Teamership is more likely to occur in an environment that supports, promotes, rewards and encourages those behaviours that allow us to bring our best and bring out the best in others. Much like if you want to be a better musician, it helps to hang around great musicians being a great team member is aided by being surrounded by great team behaviours.
Some questions for you to consider this week:
How do you add strength to your teams?
How do your teams add strength to you?