Truth about Teams
It doesn't matter what you said; what matters is what they understood
“The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion it has taken place.” -- George Bernard Shaw
Twenty five years ago I was a young high school basketball coach eager (hindsight might indicate overeager) to share everything I knew about basketball and teams. Thankfully, I was generously mentored by one of Minnesota’s all-time great high school basketball coaches to apply the following two principles to leading teams.
Players only respond to, remember, and prioritize what is emphasized not that which is merely spoken.
As a leader your success is not determined by how much you know about what it takes for the team to be successful; your success is determined by how effectively you help each team member care about learning and executing what they need to do for the team to succeed.
Over my 25 years of leading teams in high school and collegiate sports, business and non-profit arenas. I have come to understand that one of the biggest keys to facilitating successful teams is to create a simple and clear method for teams and team members to know what is important for success.
I find applying the Objective Key Result (OKR) process is a great method for creating clarity and focus on what is truly important for the following reasons.
Forces me as leader to clearly define and prioritize what is important to success
It helps build and solidify a culture of execution and results orientation
Measurement provides feedback that enables quicker course correction and innovation
The success of teams hinges on the shared understanding of what strategy and priority is for the team, and the teams commitment to execution of it.