Teamwork

As the Dallas Mavericks celebrate their 2011 NBA Championship, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and the Miami Heat have been left aghast. The Heat, judged by many as one of the largest collections of talent in NBA history, lost to a team many figured would fall in the first round.

What exactly happened? There were many factors: Dirk Nowitzki’s prowess, key role-players who stepped up for the Mavericks, and crucial breakdowns by the Heat at inopportune moments. As is often the case, a collection of events led to something extraordinary—in this case the fall of the Heat and the crowning of the Mavs as NBA champions.

With that said, if one thing more than any other led to the Mavs winning the title, it was teamwork. United under coach Rick Carlisle, the team worked furiously, particularly on the defensive end. They anticipated the opponent’s every move. Carlisle and his staff clearly put in hours and hours of research, and the Mavs’ game showed it. The players worked their butts off, and the fans supported them every step of the way.

Sound familiar? Hopefully, you see a parallel to your company or organization. A CEO—the tireless coach—knows the game and draws the plays. Workers, playing the part of players, get the dirty work done; they move the ball and score the points. And customers, acting as a loyal fan base, buy products and services and evangelize for the company.

How does your company look as a team?

Coach & Coaching Staff

• Is your company’s CEO a tireless worker with vision, able to rally the troops?
• Does your CEO surround himself/herself with wise counsel (a board who gives sound advice, mentor(s) who’ve walked the road before)?
• Does upper management fill the role of assistant coaches?
• In the NBA, assistant coaches help game-plan by evaluating other teams. Is upper management scouting the competition and keeping the company two steps ahead?
• Assistant coaches also help players work on their game. Does upper management encourage their workers to hone and refine their skills so as to be more efficient in their craft?

Players

• Is the chemistry/culture right? Is open communication encouraged?
• Is the company comprised of “flex-players,” so as to build a company with Bench Strength?
• Are workers measured by both the team’s success and individual performance?

Fans (Customers)

• Does the company have a loyal customer base? Are customers fanatic?
• Are measureable metrics in place to gauge customer satisfaction?
• What level of interaction do customers have with your company? Do customers feel like they have a voice?

While the analogy has been used before and isn’t perfect, it certainly can’t hurt to take a moment to pause and think about your business with this framework in mind.

Using this analogy, I would respond to Jeff’s recent Do CEOs Matter? question/post with a resounding yes. The Mavs required cohesion and faith in the coach’s defense-focused vision. The players had to trust the intel gathered by the coach and his staff. The coaches had to construct a gameplan that maximized their players’ talents, and the players had to execute that plan with acumen. To me, that sounds like a group where each member matters. That sounds like teamwork.