End the Internal
Competition Today for Greater Success Tomorrow
By Mark Eaton
In the NBA, when anyone on the basketball team is playing for
himself rather than the team as a whole, failure is eminent. In
business, when anyone in the company has an “I” mentality, it’s only
a matter of time until failure creeps into the organization.
In any group endeavor, success is not about discipline – it’s
about teamwork. Without teamwork, people don’t cooperate,
collaborate, or innovate. Unfortunately, many people are confused
about what a team is and how to create one. Realize that a group of
people working together is not a team. NBA teams are not
confused. They know what they have to do and they do it. Now it’s
time for businesses to do the same.
So what’s the difference between a group of people and a
team? Groups are committed to an ideal, goal or person; teams are
committed to each other. Where are the commitments in your company?
The fact is that many employees have a sense of, “I have to
look out for myself.” People think they have to constantly defend
themselves and watch their space. As such, they’re more concerned
about their own status or well-being than where the company is
going, what the company’s goals are, and how those goals are going
to be met.
As long as people are focused on internal competition, using
all of their energy in that direction, the company won’t go far.
Sure, the organization might make some short-term gains, but over
the long-term, the losses will outweigh any success.
In basketball there’s a saying that no one cares if you
score 30 points per night on a losing team. Think about how why that
saying holds true in business, too. If your company is going
downhill fast, who cares about any short-term profits? As long as
you’re just looking out for yourself and trying to beat your
teammates, you’re going to lose the biggest game out there. You’re
not going to be a star at the top of your industry.
Success only comes when you play as a team. The key is to
end internal competition and get everybody aligned with “this is
where we’re going.” Once that happens, the individual accolades will
follow.
If people on your team just can’t seem to get past the “I”
mentality – if they can’t stop asking, “Why should I help these
guys? What are they going to do for me?” – it’s time to create a
mindset shift in your organization. The following suggestions will
help.
1. Create a team philosophy:
Management has to
embrace a team philosophy that if everyone pulls together, everyone
will get what they want. Realize that an employee or manager’s value
is directly related to the company’s success. Think about it …who
wants to promote someone from a losing department? If you want to
advance, show your commitment by making sure those around you
advance. Additionally, management has to reinforce this ideology on
a daily basis by communicating the team philosophy regularly and by
meeting with staff individually to explain how adopting the
corporate goals and values and sticking together will help everyone.
Equally important is to make the communication real. People want to
help but they often lose the personal connection in the midst of too
much bureaucracy and end up focusing on just hitting “numbers.”
Since this is a behavior and a mindset shift, it’ll take time to
turn. It’s a lot like turning a battleship – slow and steady
progress gets you to your goal. Yes, it’s a new direction, but it’s
one that can inspire teams to perform at levels greater than they
knew possible. It’s a philosophy that’s well worth the effort to put
in place.
2. Instill a sense of camaraderie and team spirit:
You can’t have
a true team if everyone always stays to themselves in their offices
and only interacts with each other during weekly meetings. In order
to consistently reinforce this sense of team, you need to have
everyone come together for some group time. You can do this in a
variety of ways: Take everyone out to dinner once a month, engage in
a team building retreat, start a company softball team … do anything
to get everyone out and together as one unit. Create the scenarios
and language that reinforce the team concept. You may hit some
initial resistance to this idea, but keep pushing. Team spirit does
not just happen; you must nurture it. And don’t always talk shop
during these social gatherings. You will find that creativity will
flow much better in the days following the events, when everyone is
feeling more connected.
3. Get team members to commit to others consciously and
verbally:
Once your group
feels good about the members of the team, the next step is to ask
for a greater commitment. Remember, to have a true team, people must
be committed to each other, not just an ideal, goal or person. When
everyone is connected, there will be an opportunity to take the
conversation to the next level. Plan this ahead of time and get
everyone to sit and discuss what the next level would look like and
how to get there. This is critical to gain momentum. Discuss what
the individual benefit would be if the team succeeds. Keep in mind
that not everyone is focused on money or career advancement. For
many folks, gaining a greater sense of job satisfaction may be the
missing link. Once there is consensus on the goals and benefits of
operating as a team, ask for their commitment in writing. This will
give you something to refer back to when there are breakdowns. Most
breakdowns occur because the commitments to each other have been
lost along the way. By reminding people of their promises and the
benefits of committing to helping others, you can restore balance
and move to the next level.
Remove Obstacles – Create Success:
While a little
external competition with outside companies is healthy and keeps
your employees on their toes, internal competition among team
members and departments is a sure path to challenges and setbacks.
So if you want your company to succeed now and in the future, end
the internal competition once and for all. Foster a sense of team
commitment that goes beyond a promise to “hit the numbers.” When you
get people committed to each other first and foremost, you pave the
way for future profits and create a company culture that breeds
success.
Read other articles and learn more about
Mark Eaton.
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