As we journey through life, we learn of the importance of teamwork and how it is essential for achieving success.
We also realize the necessity of having a leader guide the team in charting that course to success. Early in my professional career, I worked with several inspirational leaders who guided our teams to great achievements. I was intrigued by those wonderful experiences and embarked on a quest to understand the principles that would enable a team to realize victory in the end. To that end, I read, analyzed, and researched numerous autobiographies, publications, and treatises on teamwork and leadership. In my opinion, one of the most inspiring and motivating books on teamwork is The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork: Embrace Them and Empower Your Team authored by John C. Maxwell. In this work, Dr. Maxwell, an expert on leadership, explains the complexities of teamwork through the application of several key laws. Although a thorough analysis of Dr. Maxwell’s laws is beyond the scope of this blog article, I invite you to consider and apply the following precepts advanced by Dr. Maxwell on a daily basis:
1) THE LAW OF SIGNIFICANCE:
One Is Too Small A Number To Achieve Greatness
2) THE LAW OF THE BIG PICTURE:
The Goal Is More Important Than The Role
3) THE LAW OF THE NICHE:
All Players Have A Place Where They Add The Most Value
4) THE LAW OF THE CATALYST:
Winning Teams Have Players Who Make Things Happen
5) THE LAW OF THE COMPASS:
Vision Gives Team Members Direction And Confidence
6) THE LAW OF THE BAD APPLE:
Rotten Attitudes Ruin A Team
7) THE LAW OF COUNTABILITY:
Teammates Must Be Able To Count On Each Other When It Counts
8) THE LAW OF THE SCOREBOARD:
The Team Can Make Adjustments When It Knows Where It Stands
9) THE LAW OF COMMUNICATION:
Interaction Fuels Action
10) THE LAW OF IDENTITY:
Shared Values Define The Team
We can all synthesize and apply Dr. Maxwell’s laws discussed above in our professional lives. Each of us is blessed with unique talents. We must impart those talents to the team. When we work together as a team and foster communication, we realize synergies. In order to achieve those synergies, it is vital to identify your team’s values and goals, and recognize the best function for each team member whereby they can make the greatest impact for the team. Equally as significant, the leader must share the team’s vision and road map to secure goal achievement with confidence. Lastly and certainly not least, accountability starts at the top with the leader. You must plan for all reasonable contingencies and modify your road map.
By implementing Dr. Maxwell’s framework, you will be inspired to build a successful team that triumphs through teamwork. Congratulations in advance on your future team endeavors!
(An informative article from the Chamber’s Board Chairman David Landry with Carver Darden. Submitted on behalf of the Live Better St. Tammany Committee.)
[1] Maxwell, John C., The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork: Embrace Them and Empower Your Team, Nashville, Tennessee, Thomas Nelson Inc., 2001.