Guest blog from Dr. Saul Miller
I was again reminded of this fact while working with three teams in Europe over the past month. It was clear that the level of core leadership on each team directly correlated with that team’s success.
Before my trip, I discussed this very point with team leaders at an Own The Podium Conference in preparation for Team Canada’s participation in the 2012 Olympics. I reminded them of that, while coaches and executives select talent and create a game plan, that’s clearly not enough. Some members of the rank and file (whether it’s players on the bench, or members of the management or sales team) must step up and lead their teammates by example.
Working with teams is always a fascinating learning experience. One of the major challenges of establishing core leadership on a team is inspiring the would-be leaders to exercise their “response-ability,” embrace the challenge, and model team-first behavior. This creates a success culture, one where talented people are excited and committed to performing at the highest level… and encouraging those around them to do so as well.
One winning NHL coach once said, “a team can win with a good coach and even in spite of a weak coach… however you need that core group of guys in the room to make it happen.”
