Rewarding teamwork

Football fans will be familiar with the style of Coach Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots, Bill Belichick. In an age when many football teams have relied on the performance of some important players, Bill Belichick has built a team of talented and cohesive. While opponents fate rose and fell with the performance of individual athletes, Bill has gained press for release of a draft on the bench for lack of teamwork. When the opponents introduced the starting line-up of individual players at the start of the game, Bill insisted that his players to get closer to the field together as a team. As individual players faced an injury or illness, the team has adapted, supported changing players' skills, and helped one another on the way to victory. Instead of seeking personal fame, the players embraced the dedication and commitment to teamwork. Win and lose as a team was more important than individual blame or praise, and thus have won the highest honor in football.

"The days of the lone ranger manager who thinks that everyone else is my rival is over," says Richard Antoine, Global Human Resources Manager for Proctor and Gamble. "The individual performance is still important, but it does not work well in this complex world if you work with and get help from a lot of people." Proctor and Gamble does more than encourage teamwork, employee collaboration is a substantial part of the annual performance review process. "Leadership is the list of the top ten qualities that we seek, but so is the ability to build relationships and different collaborative," says Richard Antoine.

Cisco Systems, a leading manufacturer of computer networking equipment, using teamwork and collaboration as a factor in the formula for calculating the bonus management since 2003. Teamwork and collaboration can impact a manager bonus up to 20%. Diane Adams, Vice President of Human Resources at Cisco, attributes the team to "dramatically improve productivity and help us grow."

Are you competing internally to build your reputation, or would you be willing to make personal sacrifices for the good of the team? You can count on the rest of your team? Who will make the first move towards the total team effort, and are willing to invest the time it takes to achieve it?

Teamwork can be demonstrated, not dictated by management. However, if there is no guidance, leadership and commitment can be developed within the team. Integrity, advocacy, collaboration and communication can develop an effective team with colleagues, vendors, suppliers, contractors and professional employees, regardless of position or title.

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WORDS OF WISDOM

"Even the Lone Ranger did not do it alone."
- Harvey MacKay, author and entrepreneur

"The idea is for the leader of the team to serve the group. It should be clear that the members of the team result. The leader is there to bring the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual to the team. Through his own actions , the leader should be able to show others how to think about the work they are doing in the context of their lives. It 's a tall order, but these teams have the best leaders. "
- Jon Franklin, President, Jonah and DiMeo Inc

"A successful team will have just two things: mutual respect among team members and a common vision of where the team is going"
- Thomas C. Leppert, Chairman and CEO, Turner Corp. .....