One of my favorite movies of all time is Remember the Titans . It traces the legendary 1971 high school team that won the Virginia State Football Championship and rose to become the No. 2 ranked high school team in the nation. But those victories alone weren't what inspired a Hollywood movie and sparked barbershop conversations decades later.
Players attended a newly integrated high school in Alexandria, a city fraught with tension . That season, they conquered the racial divide between them and taught their fans to do the same.
“At a time when the town was ready to burn out, the kids came out and changed places. attitude between them and their community,” coach Herman Boone said in an interview included in the film's DVD.
They had a teamwork attitude; each member learning to put aside their prejudices, mistrust, pride and fear to be part of a greater whole.
The transition from me to us does not come naturally for everyone.
The transition from "me" to "us" (or in the case of the Titans, from us and them to us only) does not come naturally to everybody. It was definitely not for me. That's why today we're going to look at some of the qualities of a good team player and discuss how to adopt a collaborative attitude.
Related: 8 tips to improve team collaboration
Talk about it
Coach Boone may have taught ball handling strategies, but the most critical skill he imparted to his players was communication. He got the young men up together, making room together and training together. They resisted, except for a white player who crossed the color line and set the tone for everyone else. Consistent wins on the field may have cracked the wall, but it was the locker room conversation that tore it down, Boone later said.
Communication is more than just talking (and certainly more than just send text messages). To improve your connection with people…
Be frank. Hosting hidden agendas, relaying messages through third parties, smearing bad news, beating around the bush, and airing grievances on social media are surefire ways to sabotage group relationships.
To be fast. If something bothers you, resolve the problem within 24 hours so that a short-term frustration does not turn into a long-term grudge.
Be inclusive. Be discreet when needed, but otherwise share as much work-related information as possible with your team. Open communication increases trust, trust increases ownership, and ownership increases participation.
Roll With It
Pioneering record producer Quincy Jones has been accused of being sold out before. He was big in the world of jazz, rubbing shoulders with the most renowned musicians of the genre. But in the 1980s, he jumped into the pop scene with an emerging superstar, Michael Jackson, much to the chagrin of jazz diehards.
Jones shrugged them off. "When I was 12 to 13, we played everything from strip to rhythm and blues," he explained. The context magazine. “We played pop music, [polkas], and Sousa…. We played in all the clubs in town:black, white, tennis. So I always had a range of choices. "
I'm not sure there's a better attribute to bring to a team than adaptability. What organization doesn't benefit from someone who is able to navigate financial ups and downs, pinch for colleagues, adapt to changing operations, or change strategy on the fly? These team players exhibit infectious agility, injecting a spirit of power into an entire division.
You can become more flexible in your thinking if you…
Keep learning. For many years I carried a note card in my pocket and jotted down new information as I learned it. I got into the habit of looking for new equipment and skills to acquire.
Think beyond your role. How many times have you heard a colleague whine, "That's not my job"? Don't be that office bellyacher! Instead, learn a little more about each other's duties, especially those higher on the ladder than you. You never know when an opportunity will arise to save the day in a business crisis.
Think creatively. Look for unconventional solutions when taking on a challenge. "There's an expression that says a person's age can be determined by the degree of pain they experience when they come in contact with a new idea," Jones said. “Those who don't react with fear are the truly creative people. "Let's try," they will say. "Let's go even if we blow it." » »
Wave your pom poms
figuratively, of course. But consider the enthusiasm of cheerleaders on the fringes and the amount of energy they infuse into fields and stands.
I'm thinking of companies like Harley-Davidson, which have gone from owning 80% of its market to nearly fail in the early 1980s. Or the sputtering of General Motors in the 2000s, or Starbucks diluting itself with rapid, unsustainable expansion.
In all three cases, the enthusiasm of the CEO and of employees rescued these companies from the brink and transformed them into the behemoths they are today. You don't have to be a cheerleader to bring energy to your workspace. But you can develop your enthusiasm by…
Showing a sense of urgency. Give yourself deadlines to complete milestones in a project, especially the mundane tasks you're putting off.
Take more. When someone asks you to do something, do it, then go above and beyond.
Aim for excellence. Nothing inspires excitement like the feeling of accomplishment that follows a job well done. Let that momentum carry you into the next project.
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz perhaps said it best:“When you're surrounded by people who share a passionate commitment to a common goal, anything is possible. ”
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These qualities are just a taste of the many attributes that good team players bring to their organizations.
So I leave you with one last task:think to people in your sphere. Consider everyone from the parking lot attendant to the CEO. Identify those with the best team qualities. Look at them. How do they put their attitudes into practice? How do they inspire others to follow their examples? Teamwork does not come naturally to everyone. But remember these Titans and know that attitudes can change.
