All leaders know the importance and multiplicative impact of a great team. You can simply accomplish more with a team than you can by yourself. So how do you go about constructing a great unit? Are there keys and practices to building great teams?
In the February 23rd issue of Sports Illustrated, the great writer Chris Ballard profiles the Golden State Warriors, the team with the NBA’s best record. As I read the article, I gleaned 17 Practices Of Highly Successful Leaders Who Build Great Teams.
Whether you lead an athletic team, business, non-profit or church, these practices will help you build a great team:
- Highly Successful Leaders Who Build Great Teams Instill Belief In Others – Bill Walton, whose son Luke is an assistant coach, told owner Joe Lacob, “You’ve changed everything. You’ve made people believe again.”
- Highly Successful Leaders Who Build Great Teams Add Talented Young People – The team’s best player, Steph Curry, is only 26 years old.
- Highly Successful Leaders Who Build Great Teams Add Experienced Leadership – The team’s assistants include highly respected strategist Alvin Gentry and Ron Adams.
- Highly Successful Leaders Who Build Great Teams Are Committed To The Team’s Success – Lacob is constantly accessible to the staff, players, media and fans. The previous owner, Chris Cohan, was described as reclusive.
- Highly Successful Leaders Who Build Great Teams Make Tough Decisions – The team fired popular head coach Mark Jackson. They felt he was the right man for the moment. But a different leader was needed for the future. Enter Steve Kerr.
- Highly Successful Leaders Who Build Great Teams Are Continual Learners – For several years, Kerr on the advice from Jeff Van Gundy wrote down everything he was learning, his desires, and things he would change if he coached a team. This developed his philosophy.
- Highly Successful Leaders Who Build Great Teams Pay Attention To The Slightest Details – During his interview, Kerr presented a meticulous plan which also contained proposals for a team dietician and sleep specialist.
- Highly Successful Leaders Who Build Great Teams Connect With The Influencers – Upon being hired, Kerr made his first order of business to connect with Curry.
- Highly Successful Leaders Who Build Great Teams Value Versatility – The team wanted players who could play multiple positions.
- Highly Successful Leaders Who Build Great Teams Think Creatively – The reason the team wanted versatile players was because they felt traditional positions were becoming obsolete.
- Highly Successful Leaders Who Build Great Teams Build A Solid Foundation – Though traditional positions were beaching obsolete, the value of players with great size was not. Great size brings reliability to a team.
- Highly Successful Leaders Who Build Great Teams Hire People With High Character – When referring to Curry, general manager Bob Myers said, “It’s like having a CEO that exhibits the highest character. Everybody else falls in line.”
- Highly Successful Leaders Who Build Great Teams Have Great Depth – In just a couple of years, the team drafted Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green and also traded for All-Stars Andrew Bogut and Andre Iguodala. To see Thompson’s record breaking 37-point quarter against the Sacramento Kings on January 23rd, see the video above.
- Highly Successful Leaders Who Build Great Teams Care About Their People – After becoming coach, Kerr flew great distances to meet with a number of players. The purpose of their time together was for Kerr to show each player his plan for each being successful.
- Highly Successful Leaders Who Build Great Teams Make Great Sacrifices – One of the team’s stars, Iguodala decided to come off the bench to add offense and strengthen the second unit.
- Highly Successful Leaders Who Build Great Teams Value Their Team’s Input – They are humble and secure enough to ask for help. Kerr often asks his players for input on things they are experiencing on the floor.
- Highly Successful Leaders Who Build Great Teams Focus On Preparation – Kerr has a system of watching each team’s previous five games before playing them.
Which of these 17 Practices can you begin implementing to improve your team’s performance?
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