Playbook for Success: A Hall of Famer's Business Tactics for Teamwork and Leadership

Chapter 6. It's All about Teamwork

Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.

—Michael Jordan, Hall of Fame Basketball Player

"Teamwork" has many definitions. Early in my career, my coaches shared the adage, "There is no 'i' in team." But as many players in business and sports have come to recognize, there is an "i" in win. This, my friends, can produce a delicate balance of overachievers, role-players, and a variety of different strengths that make up any team.

I am a firm believer that you have to have the talent to win; but you can't do it by yourself if the effort requires you to work with teammates. Teamwork requires the ability to recognize the talent and abilities of others and apply them to one final objective. It's tough to be ambitious and set lofty goals and hope that others around you have the same or at least a similar mind-set for succeeding together. Many companies pride themselves on hiring talent and getting them to work in a cohesive group setting, coordinating efforts as a team rather than relying upon one talented individual's effort. However, there are so few examples of this kind of teamwork in business, so sports analogies are often used to drive home how vital team building and working together are to growing a business.

What often causes problems is the attention that's typically given to a particular individual who has had enormous success. Our society is much more fascinated with individual accomplishments than the collective team's ...