It was a young team against seasoned professionals. The veterans had won six gold medals in the previous seven Winter Olympics and were the clear favourites. Some of the players were active military and all had been trained in top notch facilities. Amateurs were fresh-faced college kids.
It remains one of the greatest sports stories ever told. At the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, the United States men's hockey team stunned the Soviet Union, winning a loss and ultimately winning the gold medal. In the dying seconds of the match, sports commentator Al Michaels exclaimed, “Do you believe in miracles? Yes! The upset went down in sports history as "The Miracle on the Ice."
The USA hockey team was not supposed to win, but its coach, Herb Brooks, highlighted the strengths individual players to develop a winning team. Drawing from the ranks of American college players, Brooks tapped into the intense and ongoing rivalry between East Coast and Midwest schools. He recruited and coached players from both regions with one goal in mind:an Olympic gold medal. He pushed the athletes harder than ever. Bitter rivals in college, they have become a group of brothers on the world stage. At the Olympics, they far exceeded expectations. They erased them.
I love this story because I believe leaders' greatest joy comes not from individual victory, but from leading a team to victory. And no team win is sweeter than one that surprises not just the critics, but the members themselves.
Related: Tom Izzo on Inspiring Your Team
Here are four things you can do to develop a team that is so aligned, equipped and empowered that they accomplish more than they ever thought possible:
1. Gather the right players.
A strong team is not possible with weak members. This applies as much to business as it does to hockey. In Brooks' case, he was looking for game-related skills. What skills and traits should your team members have?
The emotion of leading others to achieve something important was far more powerful than the feeling of individual victory.
The best team members share the values of the leader. All of them are striving for the same goal because they define a win the same way you do. After values, I look for a positive attitude, because that is more difficult to teach than skills. Positive and altruistic players not only achieve more, they also spread their attitude to their peers and improve everyone's game. Finally, I review the backgrounds of potential team members to determine if they can be relied upon to do the job.
2. Put them in a position to win.
After finding strong team members, wise leaders must also carefully choose the role each person plays. In the case of the Miracle on Ice team, each member was chosen as the best player for their specific position. So everyone was in a place where they could best contribute to a win. As a leader, it is your responsibility to determine each person's sweet spot and, as much as possible, allow the individual to contribute from that position.
Related: The roadmap to great teamwork
3. Communicate and communicate the vision.
If great team members are the ingredients for victory, communication is the recipe. Once you have assembled your team, you can only win if each member knows the plan and has the tools to implement it.
The leader must first cast the vision and define what a win looks like . In Brooks' case, it was quite simple:the goal was to beat the Soviets. But I'm sure Brooks has reminded his players of that more than once. Why? On the one hand, he had to overcome competing agendas. Players from rival colleges weren't used to working together. He stressed the importance of unity, as anything less than a cohesive and resolute team would fail. In any team, you will find competing agendas. Keep the main purpose front and center to encourage members to set aside personal agendas and move forward together.
4. Equip them to bring out their best.
Great leaders also give their teams the tools and training to succeed. Brooks knew that to beat the Soviets, his team needed more than practice drills. The Soviet players were in extraordinary physical condition, often wearing down their opponents to secure a victory. Brooks' training therefore involved intense physical conditioning mixed with physical training. He developed their stamina to play the long game. Only then could they use their skills to win.
Plan in advance what challenges your team is likely to encounter. Clear the way to victory by providing the tools and training needed to get the job done. And be prepared to communicate the goal repeatedly as motivation to persist through the process.
Related: John C. Maxwell:How to Live Your Mission Statement
This article originally appeared in the February 2017 issue of SUCCESS magazine.
