Teamwork on the Field and in the Office

By Ev Chasen

Football season is about to begin again, and pigskin prognosticators are hard at work trying to interpret who will survive the long, grueling season, who will face each other in the playoffs, and finally who will emerge as this year’s Super Bowl Champion.  Good pundits know that it’s not necessarily the number of stars on a team that determines how well it will perform, but how well the team plays together.  In other words, teamwork.

Vince Lombardi, perhaps the greatest football coach of all time, once said: “Individual commitment to a group effort- that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”  It’s important for every manager to take this to heart in evaluating how his or her staff works together.

Does your staff trust each other?  Are their goals the same?  Do they collaborate and use their talents, and their experience, to contribute to overall organizational success?  Do they try to be honest, respectful, and listen to every person’s point of view?  Are they all “blocking in the same direction?”  If the answer to these questions is “yes,” your organization is in a position to benefit from the synergy that results from a group of diverse individuals functioning as a team.  If the answer is “no,” here are a few ideas to help the process along.

First, every manager should emphasize teamwork, in their formal meetings, in their “one on one” discussions with staff, and whenever a new task needs to be accomplished.  It is important to remind employees of the benefits of teamwork, and the improvements in individual performances that result when people work well together.  At the highest levels of football, the best coaches set a culture of selfless commitment to the team, and they part ways with players who won’t buy-in.

Second, focus on organizational goals not just individual goals. Emphasize what your company or agency is trying to accomplish in your discussions with staff, not what any individual is doing. This will create a common focus and encourage groups to work together towards accomplishing the goals your organization had set.  In football, this means aiming for the Super Bowl instead of focusing on individual statistics.

Third, design well-balanced teams by having members complement each other; one’s strength should counter-balance another’s weakness.  Creating diversified teams will encourage people to work closely with one another to off-set their own weaknesses and capitalize on strengths.  Champions are never the team with five awesome quarterbacks and not a single decent lineman.

Fourth, if you’re going to talk the talk; then make sure you walk the walk. Staff will not work as a team if their manager is not part of that team.  Don’t give up on the team concept even when things are going badly; stay with it. Be honest, open and loyal to your staff, and they will respond in kind.

And finally, make sure the whole team is involved and agrees with important decisions. Every team member should hold themselves accountable for each decision, solution, or idea the team makes together. The more team members feel involved in the team’s decision making, the more likely they will commit to being an effective team member.

Henry Ford once said: “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.”  In football, business, and society teamwork is the key to success.  And, if you’re interested in my own choice for this year’s Super Bowl Champion, here it is: I’m picking the Jets!

Getting the Most Out of Your Mentor

By Stan Sinclair, Managing Member

In his August 5 Washington Post blog post, The Federal Coach, Tom Fox of the Partnership for Public Service answered a question from a reader who asked what young federal leaders can do to continue developing their skills after completing a formal leadership training program.  (You can read the entire column here.)  Tom offered his correspondent three good ideas:

•  Phone a friend: that is, use your fellow program members as an informal network for advice and counsel in future situations.

•   Find a mentor: Look for experienced, high-performing leaders who are willing to help you navigate the ins and outs of leadership in your agency.

•  Look for learning opportunities all around you: Read professional journals, follow leadership experts on twitter, and take notes on how exceptional leaders go about their business.

Our company is deeply involved in all three of these areas of leadership development.  In our leadership development courses, we encourage students to follow each of these paths to self-improvement, and we hope that this blog is a learning opportunity for many of our readers.  As many of our Associates are retired Federal executives, mentoring is a logical area in which we can add value to Government agency operation, and we are proud to provide that service to our customers.

Whether or not you are using a mentor or coach provided by SAG, nearly all young leaders can benefit from having a mentor.  Whether you’ve chosen your own mentor, or had one assigned to you, here are some tips to get the most out of your mentor/mentee relationship:

First, be clear about what you’re looking for.  It’s difficult, if not impossible, for a mentor to guess the areas in which you’d like to be counseled in without your help.  Be prepared when you walk into a session or meeting with your mentor. It’s a good idea to bring one or two questions with you. Make sure these questions are clear, to the point, and honest about your situation. 

Second, be careful with your mentor’s time.  This is especially true, of course, if he or she is helping you out as an unpaid service.  If time is short, look for opportunities to share a cab, grab a cup of coffee, or exchange contact information to speak at a more convenient time.

Third, be prepared for your sessions.  Bring a laptop, or a pad and paper—and take good notes that you can read, transcribe and understand.  Keep them in a safe place where you can refer to them, and take action based on them.

Fourth, keep your mentor informed.  Let them know what actions you have taken, or plan to take, based on their efforts. 

Fifth, be appreciative of your mentor’s help.  Be enthusiastic about mentor’s good ideas and be responsive to them.  Don’t forget that they are also human beings, and like pats on the back and good feedback as much as anyone else.  Remember their birthdays and career milestones.  Don’t postpone mentoring sessions unless you really have to.

SAG is proud that our Associates have mentored hundreds, perhaps thousands, of our nation’s finest young leaders.  Like Mr. Fox, we enthusiastically recommend mentoring as a low-cost leadership development tool that pays off—in spades.