Great_Teamwork

It takes a TEAM to fulfill a DREAM.

It takes TEAMWORK to make the DREAM work.

Most people have heard these phrases, but they have never stopped to think about what makes up a great team.

Great teams are not made up of a group of great players. A basketball team comprised of 5 Michael Jordans would not be an all star team.

This is a critical concept many do not grasp.

Great teams are made when great players play their unique position with greatness!

Whenever there is a lack of clarity about each person’s specific role, there are three results:

  • Confusion – people are unsure what they should be doing
  • Conflict – people are stepping on top of each others roles
  • Collapse – the team gridlocks, the mission is lost, and the organization crumbles

It not enough to have great players, you must also have great clarity regarding positions and roles.

Every member of a team must be crystal clear about their unique role in the whole. In the language of leadership development, roles are often delineated as leader levels. However, this can lead to increased confusion since many think of levels as a structure to be climbed. Leader levels are more accurately reflections of a leader’s sweet spot, not their importance/authority in the organization.

In an effort to reduce this confusion, we have recently decided to change our language from Leader Levels to Team Roles.

Using the language of football (yes, it’s that time of the year), we have defined leader roles as:

1. PLAYER – Players are the ones who are on the field running the plays. They are the ones who put points on the board. Players are what churches call a volunteer. Nothing happens without them. Not all players execute the same tasks on the field. They vary in their position according to their SHAPE.

2. CAPTAIN – A team captain is a player that is leading and focusing the other players on the field. Captains still run plays but they also call them. They have a pulse on each players performance and they speak into the other players lives. In a nutshell, they are calling plays, running plays, and leading players.

3. COORDINATOR – A coordinator is in the game but off the field. They work with the captain(s) to formulate team strategy, coordinate player positions and scheduling , and evaluate team performance. Most organizations call this person a Director.

4. COACH – Coaches focus on communicating the mission and vision, clarifying the values and strategies, aligning the team with the big picture, equipping the team leaders Captains & Coordinators), motivating and inspiring the team, and refocusing the team’s energy.

 

Great teams that accomplish great dreams are comprised of great people who know their role in the whole and share a common goal.

What are your thoughts?

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