With March comes the ‘madness’ of the NCAA basketball tournaments for men and women. Teams and their fans will all be proud, excited, and hopeful as the first games tip off. As fans we like to be connected to winning teams and celebrate championships and other accomplishments. If you watch some of the tournament games, notice the energy and enthusiasm generated in the crowd when the game starts and then how different that is for the winning and losing teams’ fans at the end of the game.
Which energy do you want in your organization and in your own job? Of course, we want to have the energy and enthusiasm of the winning team. However, such energy and enthusiasm is rarely evident in most organizations. While sustaining that level for 40 hours rather than 40 minutes is one factor, another key reason is the scoreboard. Most organizations lack a clear scoreboard or feedback system to clearly and frequently tell everyone how they are performing personally and collectively so they can step up to meet the challenge at hand. No wonder, according research on workplace engagement, most employees do not feel like champions or members of a winning team. They may not know what their score is or if anyone cares what it is.
If you want to develop some leadership insights while also enjoying the games, notice the differences between the winners and losers: the effectiveness of the leadership; the team members fitting their individual roles while also working together; and how they all respond to feedback from the record of the results they produce. Then consider what parts are present or missing from your team. If you would like further insights on how to create a winning team, let us know. Our mission is to develop winning teams for our clients – without the ‘madness’!
