Thursday, January 6, 2011

John Maxwell - 5 C's of Team Success

"Winning is not an automatic process. If you win, you do it on purpose. And more importantly, you do it as a team."

Five Core Values of a Winning Team:

1. Commitment - "No team has ever achieved extraordinary results without a 100 percent commitment to the cause and a common vision where everyone is pulling in the same direction."

2. Contribution - "If our team is going to succeed, we each must contribute our all... Be committed to making a meaningful contribution to your team." As Joe Namath said, " If you aren't going all the way, why go at all?"

3. Competence - "The strength of a team is impacted by it's weakest link. And that weakest player is always going to determine the load the is able to carry." Weak links affect teams in 3 ways: Loss of opportunity, Loss of morale, and Loss of productivity.

4. Communication - Must be: Candid (open, honest, no hidden agendas, or secrets), Direct (Most appreciate directness given with their best interest at heart), Rapid (Don't sit on it, get it out there), Inclusive (Knowledge is power. Empower, don't imprison, the team), and Consistent (Avoid the knee-jerk reaction).

5. Cooperation - "Longfellow once said, 'All your strength is in union. All your danger is in discord.' ... If I go to my team with a me-oriented attitude, I will never be successful. But if I go to them with an others-oriented attitude, it holds a whole different meaning."