Why Teams Win and Meaningful Purpose
Why are some teams winners? Why do some teams fail? Why is that teams with seemingly less talent are more effective than the competition? For the past twenty-five years I have been working with teams; all kind of teams…in sport, business, and health care.
In the process I have defined nine keys that differentiate the winners from the losers… and determine why some organizations succeed while others struggle and under achieve. I discuss the nine keys in a book I am just completing entitled, Why Teams Win. I’ll be discussing the nine keys and many other performance issues in my blog. Today, I would like to share a few thoughts on the first of the nine keys. That is, having a meaningful goal and living with a sense of purpose. .
Healthy people have a natural desire to excel. They want to succeed, to contribute to and be a part of something of value. Winning teams present a meaningful opportunity and challenge to their members. Whether it’s to win the championship, be the best, provide a quality product, a valuable service, or make the world a better place to live and work, the members of winning teams share the belief that what they do and what they are striving for has meaning and value.
Research has shown that when a person believes that they are engaged in a meaningful pursuit it’s both energizing and sustaining. A strong sense of purpose generates a kind of ‘soul power’ that nurtures drive and success. Bottom line, people with a meaningful goal are willing to work harder, persist longer and endure more. And all of these qualities lead to success.
People will invest heart and soul in a process they care about. Care is a word of the heart (coeur is heart in French) and love is one of the most powerful forces on the planet. Love gives and reflects meaning. People who love what they are doing, who love the game, and love the challenge are energized and actually face the task at hand with more power. Conversely, and I’ve seen this time and again, when people believe or feel that their performance doesn’t really matter, experience their energy and enthusiasm fade.
We all live and work with others in ‘teams’. And each of us contributes to the success and well-being of the teams we operate in. I want to encourage you from time to time to look at the path you are on, the way you are playing the game. Explore how you feel about the challenges you are facing, and consider what you can do to bring more meaning, heart, and impact to those challenges… and to the teams you live and work in.
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