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The 2 Most Important Ingredients of a Winning Team

You’ve probably heard this popular African Proverb before:

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

The reason this statement has become so popular and “gone global,” is that it resonates with us at a core level. We inherently know that it’s true; not just from a tactical team building framework, but this is the way God designed life to work.

If you’ve ever played on or been around a winning team you know how much fun it can be. You also know that winning teams are rare, only one team wins the championship each year. You also know that winning teams don’t just happen on accident. They’re built with great intentionality. So as you’re in the process of mixing the right ingredients to build a great team, make sure you mix in the 2 most important ingredients to building a winning team:

Trust

Trust is built up close and over time. It’s more given than earned. But it’s given to people who have a proven track record, because the best predictor of future success is past performance. We know what to expect from each other and trust that we are each going to play our role at a high level.

Humility

While great teams are composed of great players, those great players know how to keep their ego in check. Great players are great not just because of their talent level, but they put the team first. Which means they do what’s best for the team instead of what’s best for themselves or their career. They’d rather be a role player on a championship team than a star on a mediocre team.


Posted in Leadership, Staffing

2 Responses to “The 2 Most Important Ingredients of a Winning Team”

  1. Kathy Widenhouse November 16, 2015 at 2:19 pm #

    Trust and humility are huge — and we also use a practical way to build strong teams. The Leading From Your Strengths (LFYS) Profiles empower teams to discover and use their God-given strengths and be stronger for it individually and together. When teams understand that each member has stengths and can blend them together, then they cease to compete with each other but work together.

  2. Benjer McVeigh November 18, 2015 at 8:36 am #

    So true. I would take teammates who trust and who put others first any day over super-talented people who don’t know how to be on a team. Thanks for the reminder that I need to work on both!

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