“It’s easy to get good players. Getting them to play together, that’s the hard part.” -Casey Stengel
A legendary team manager who brought Major League Baseball teams to victory, Stengel was quoted saying the above in reference to building a team he could count on to work together and thereby find success.
That’s the goal not just of a coach or team manager – it’s also the best case scenario for any HR representative, middle-level manager, or executive attempting to make sure that his or her employees will operate at the top of their game. Even if you’ve never stepped onto a ball field, court, or arena in your life, the sports analogy still applies: no matter how stellar one team member’s work, it is the sum total of the team in its entirety, the smooth combination of everyone’s strength, that truly matters in the long run.
Kareem Abdul-Jabar said, “One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team.” And basketball Coach Dean Smith reportedly told Michael Jordan when he started college, “Michael, if you can’t pass, you can’t play.” Even legends need their teammates, and it’s important to build those connections between your team members regularly. Keeping them strong and using the power that comes from a well-oiled multi-person machine (whether in a rink or a boardroom) can only mean more success!
