Is Your Team Focused On Results?

Last week, I shared with you why accountability is crucial to team success and how giving feedback in a productive, direct and caring way is truly a gift.

I’ve been talking about the key components of a healthy team for one reason: The ultimate goal of building greater trust, healthy conflict, commitment, and accountability is the achievement of results.

For a team to excel, all the members must be willing to put the team’s goals ahead of any individual goals.

Now, it may seem obvious that a team would be focused on its results, right? I mean, what else would it be focused on? And yet, many teams struggle with this.

Many employees are focused on their own results; their department, their career, their budget, their status. That isn’t good for the team.

That’s why accountability is so important. The only way the team is going to reach their goals is if each member knows they’re going to be held accountable for anything that runs counter to the good of the entire team.

Case in point – Scottie Pippen. The Chicago Bulls were in the playoffs, post Michael Jordan, and they were tied with the New York Knicks – their hated rival. Coach Phil Jackson calls a time out with 1.8 seconds remaining and reviews a play with his team on the sidelines. The play called for Toni Kukoc, not Pippen, to get the ball because he’s a great outside shooter and would probably be open rather than Pippen. When Coach Jackson explained the play, Pippen disagreed and said he should get the ball. Coach explained the play again and why he designed it the way he did, and Pippen again disagreed. When Coach Jackson explained his reasoning again – Pippen responded by saying if he didn’t get the ball, he wouldn’t play.

So, Pippen sat on the bench.

The crowd of 20,000+ rumbled with confusion as to why the best player wasn’t on the court. The announcers wondered if Pippen was hurt or did he foul out…

Now, the Bulls went on to win the game, but that’s not the point.

The moral of the story is this: Wouldn’t it be great if people in your organization had the courage and audacity like Scottie Pippen to say, “You guys it’s really not about the team. It’s all about me.”

Because then you know who to fire. :^)

Seriously, I invite you to look at the people on your team through a different lens. Notice their behavior and their willingness to embrace your team’s goals and objectives. No judgement. Just notice. Then become a detective.

Ask yourself: “What are some reasons your team might get sidetracked from being focused on collective results?”

Is it a lack of shared rewards?

A focus on career status?

Lack of drive or urgency?

There are any number of reasons, which is why observing your team is key to answering that question and addressing those issues effectively.

In my team coaching programs, I guide teams to identify where they are having difficulties in achieving team goals; what behaviors and beliefs are present and what needs to change.

Is this happening in your team? Schedule a call with me today so we can discuss exactly what’s going on.

Isn’t it time to figure out why your team isn’t reaching their goals and how to correct that? You can reduce your stress levels and navigate change inside your team.

Schedule a call with me today and learn how team coaching could be the solution you’ve been looking for.

Thanks so much for watching. I look forward to talking with you soon!