An article on Coming together is a beginning
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When asked to write about executive team and communication development, my mind raced. I thought of the countless seminars I’ve conducted or attended on teambuilding and effective communication. If you search for “team development skills” on Google, you will pull up nearly 44 million sites; “communication skills” will draw 62 million choices!
Organizations that consistently achieve high performance are supported by high-performance cultures. Within that culture runs a smooth operating team. Certain characteristics distinguish these teams. It’s a product, the service, dedication and excellence that separates companies from their competition. But it's the people or a company’s high-performance teams that separates them from other companies.
It was Henry Ford who said, “Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” It’s been my experience that the ultimate success in executive team and communication development can be found within this quote.
“Coming Together is the Beginning.”
I would call this the common purpose phase. To develop an executive team, each member must know and feel a sense of belonging or shared purpose. We all remember standing in line in grade school waiting to hear our name called. We hoped and even prayed that we wouldn’t be the last one standing. Why? Because it meant we were the least gifted, the outcast—the one they had to choose because there was no other choice.
We have a natural psychological need for inclusion. When everyone is included and made to feel a part of the process or purpose, they find common ground—the ground on which effective social and working relationships are built. This common purpose increases our comfort levels and allows us to better accept those who might be different from us. When this is understood, people take the focus off themselves and learn to appreciate and value each other. That’s a team. That’s executive team development.
Once you’ve assembled (or inherited) your team and come together for a common purpose, the question is, How do we sustain it? We move from these former silos that have become actual teams and ask, How do we fuel this high-level team performance? This takes us to the second part of Henry Ford’s quote.
“Keeping Together is Progress.”
This is the mutual commitment phase. We can create a team spirit so our people have a sense of belonging. We can give people status and even self-esteem within our teams. But how long will it last?
It was 1985, and the Chicago Bears had just won the Super Bowl. Linebacker Mike Singletary was about to be interviewed on national television and was waiting in the same room with Ara Parseghian, the legendary former Notre Dame coach. The 1985 Super Bowl MVP asked Parseghian, “How did you hold it together to achieve all those championship teams?” Mike Singletary wasn’t interested in the ticker tape parade. The captain of the most feared defense in the league wasn’t thinking about the endorsements that would come piling in. He wanted that feeling again—the feeling of victory, the taste of being the best of the best. He wanted to know how to keep his championship team together. Why not ask someone who had successfully achieved it? Here is what Parseghian said:
“Protect what you got.” Executive team leaders protect their teams. Over the years as a manager, I have made it a point to make sure my staff knows that I am their biggest fan and that I will always be in their corner.
“Make sure you base decisions on the right information.” It’s been said that prior to the sinking of the Titanic, Captain Edward J. Smith was informed of “small“ icebergs ahead. He then gave the order “full throttle ahead” as if to taunt the “smaller” objects with his Goliath of a ship.
“Remember where you came from.” It was the morning after the Super Bowl victory. Mike Singletary was just waking up, and his wife was nowhere in sight. He thought, “She must be bringing me breakfast in bed; after all, I just
Organizations that consistently achieve high performance are supported by high-performance cultures. Within that culture runs a smooth operating team. Certain characteristics distinguish these teams. It’s a product, the service, dedication and excellence that separates companies from their competition. But it's the people or a company’s high-performance teams that separates them from other companies.
It was Henry Ford who said, “Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” It’s been my experience that the ultimate success in executive team and communication development can be found within this quote.
“Coming Together is the Beginning.”
I would call this the common purpose phase. To develop an executive team, each member must know and feel a sense of belonging or shared purpose. We all remember standing in line in grade school waiting to hear our name called. We hoped and even prayed that we wouldn’t be the last one standing. Why? Because it meant we were the least gifted, the outcast—the one they had to choose because there was no other choice.
We have a natural psychological need for inclusion. When everyone is included and made to feel a part of the process or purpose, they find common ground—the ground on which effective social and working relationships are built. This common purpose increases our comfort levels and allows us to better accept those who might be different from us. When this is understood, people take the focus off themselves and learn to appreciate and value each other. That’s a team. That’s executive team development.
Once you’ve assembled (or inherited) your team and come together for a common purpose, the question is, How do we sustain it? We move from these former silos that have become actual teams and ask, How do we fuel this high-level team performance? This takes us to the second part of Henry Ford’s quote.
“Keeping Together is Progress.”
This is the mutual commitment phase. We can create a team spirit so our people have a sense of belonging. We can give people status and even self-esteem within our teams. But how long will it last?
It was 1985, and the Chicago Bears had just won the Super Bowl. Linebacker Mike Singletary was about to be interviewed on national television and was waiting in the same room with Ara Parseghian, the legendary former Notre Dame coach. The 1985 Super Bowl MVP asked Parseghian, “How did you hold it together to achieve all those championship teams?” Mike Singletary wasn’t interested in the ticker tape parade. The captain of the most feared defense in the league wasn’t thinking about the endorsements that would come piling in. He wanted that feeling again—the feeling of victory, the taste of being the best of the best. He wanted to know how to keep his championship team together. Why not ask someone who had successfully achieved it? Here is what Parseghian said:
“Protect what you got.” Executive team leaders protect their teams. Over the years as a manager, I have made it a point to make sure my staff knows that I am their biggest fan and that I will always be in their corner.
“Make sure you base decisions on the right information.” It’s been said that prior to the sinking of the Titanic, Captain Edward J. Smith was informed of “small“ icebergs ahead. He then gave the order “full throttle ahead” as if to taunt the “smaller” objects with his Goliath of a ship.
“Remember where you came from.” It was the morning after the Super Bowl victory. Mike Singletary was just waking up, and his wife was nowhere in sight. He thought, “She must be bringing me breakfast in bed; after all, I just
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