Small Business Startup - Secrets To Creating A Winning Team Chemistry

What an incredible ride! The Colorado Rockies set Major League Baseball on fire with an amazing 21 victories in 22 games to earn a spot in the 2007 World Series. Although the Boston Red Sox swept our home town team in the Fall Classic, let's not forget what great things any team can accomplish when they work together and play like a team to achieve one purpose.

This year's Rockies orchestrated a blueprint for success that any business or organization should want to duplicate. Winning Team Chemistry is almost like catching lighting in a bottle. And it is often easier to talk about it than to actually achieve it, but when it happens, the near impossible becomes reality. How many times have you seen teams, businesses and organizations literally implode because positive chemistry was lacking or so-called "cultural differences" sidetracked the organization's vision? Mergers, acquisitions and day-to-day operations of any business are affected negatively or positively by how the team works together.

What the Rockies did in 2007 on the field is a blueprint for any organization's success. Let's examine a few of the key factors every business should consider.

1. One for All and All for One. The Rockies developed early on a camaraderie that worked on the field, in the clubhouse and outside the stadium. These players, through late last year, in the minor leagues and in spring training developed a genuine like, trust and respect for each other. They literally did not care who got the credit for a victory. They were not about individual stats, just the most important team stat of earning a 'W.' In fact, in their incredible season ending winning streak, a different player became the hero each night. As a result, everyone was a key contributor to overall team success. You could sense how much fun the players were having as they would see a different teammate rise to the occasion and secure a victory in the streak.

This is the essence of winning team chemistry -- and it can work in any organization or business. The question is how do you create it? It has to be a vision that the owner or leader inspires. It cannot be dictated. It cannot be contrived. It must be inspired by powerful example. Team members will pick up the vision and, with empowerment, energize the organization.

2. Be Unselfish. When the team wins, the individual wins. When the Rockies players came to the ballpark, each one would ask, "For the next 3 hours, what can I do as an individual to help us win as a team?" Whether or not that player even played that day didn't matter. They sincerely wanted to win as a team by helping the other guy be successful. Helping other people is where the greatest miracles occur. It is unselfishness. It is leadership. It is vision in action. It is high-performance. It is winning.

3. Maintain an Even Keel. It's baseball, it's a job, it's work, it's a career. It's not life or death. Don't get too high with a victory, or get too low with a defeat. A baseball player who only gets a hit three times in ten at bats, is considered one of the best in the league. But to do that, he failed seven times in ten. It's not in failing, it is how your respond positively to that failure that determines overall wining or losing. Certainly celebrate and reward proper behavior and success, but also celebrate taking a risk and working together as a team to achieve - collectively - superior results that would never be accomplished by just one person.

Along the way, remember to balance daily tasks and what you do for a living - the winning and losing of daily work life, with the real important things in life - like family, friends, health and emotional and spiritual life. This balance will help you maintain an even keel and a boat with an even keel, cuts though the water more efficiently than one that is slightly askew. In fact, an unbalanced boat will struggle in the water and eventually come to a stop.

4. Focus on the Fundamentals. Always work on fine tuning the fundamentals. It is a key to team and organization success. The Rockies set a Major League Baseball record for highest fielding percentage in league season history. The winning streak just didn't happen - it was achieved by hard work in spring training, continued practice and on-going refinement during the season and then on-field execution. Proper Practice Yields Positive Performance. The Rockies went so far to back-up each other. When a mistake was made, another stepped in and made the play. As a result, very few team errors occurred. The players worked seamlessly together because they liked and respected each other. They knew that each player contributed unique and individual talents that helped the team become better and win in new ways. They embraced the diversity of personalities and skills into one cohesive unit.

A focus on the fundamentals helps any team, business or organization weather the storm in good times and in bad. Many times people get distracted from the real vision, purpose and objectives of the team. Again, make sure all team members know and understand the vision and have the charge to execute on that vision.

Summary

Teamwork, winning chemistry, whatever you call it, is hard to manufacture and duplicate, but when any organization follows these four principles: All for One and One for all; Be Unselfish; Maintain an Even Keel; and Focus on the Fundamentals, the results are incredible. Team camaraderie becomes inspiring and audiences get excited watching the organization perform. When all the parts work together in collective harmony, much more is accomplished and the outcome is dynamic. Your business needs to consider how to incorporate this vital ingredient of Winning Team Chemistry into your organization.

Bob Meldrum is a columnist for CORE Magazine in Denver Colorado. CORE is the leading online source for small business startup.

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