Basketball is once my passion. I would play basketball everyday and not get tired of it. But, I have to give up since basketball will not be my bread and butter.
Now that I think of the good old times, playing all day long while working on my blog. I realized there are actually similarities between organization and team sport. And there are things that we can learn from it.
So what can we learn?
1) Goals vs Objectives
The big picture for any team sport is to win the championship or top the table in the league. Drill down a little bit. The coach and the player’s focus are to win every game that they played.
On the player themselves, they understand their roles in the team. And they are expected to achieve their best in whatever they are expected to do. For example, a shooting guard is expected to score every time that they shoot at the basket.
For any company, do all the employees understand the mission statement or the objectives of the company? At department level, do the employees understand what do they need to achieve to contribute to the department?
Employees would like to feel a sense of achievement after a long day of hard work. Without objectives. Without goals. The employees will not know whether they are moving towards the right direction.
2) The coach vs The manager
The coach play a big part in the team. Not only do they understand the tactics to play the game, they also understand how to motivate the team.
Usually at crunch time, the things that make or break the team are not entirely the team’s skill level. It’s how bad do they want to win. And here’s where the coach comes in. A great coach will inspire the team to rise to the challenge and perform to their best.
A manager does not need to go to such extent and give inspiration speech every day to motivate his/her staffs. But, he/she will need to know his/her staffs well enough when to step in and give his/her staffs a push to strive for the best.
3) Top scorer vs Top performer
There are always specific training program designed for any talent that the coach spot. The training program will improve the player’s strength and target his/her weak area. Through the program, the player will be able to perform to his/her best.
Same thing for any company, there should be training programs for any employees to improve their skills. So that, they can perform to their best and propel the company to excellence.
4) Team spirit vs Employee bonding
When the team loses, players console each other. When the team win, they celebrate together. It’s the team spirit that bond them together, and they need the bond to connect with each other. So that, they can form a formidable partnership on the playing field.
In a company’s environment that foster bonding, it will be easier for anyone to work with each other. And employees will stay longer in that company.
How does company create that kind of environment? Organize activities that foster teamwork. Activities like sport event, online gaming (in groups), group competition (where prizes will be won), etc.
Summary
In the world of team sport, there are times where little-known team can beat a famous team unexpectedly. And I can tell you that it’s possible because of the teamwork, their strong desire to win and the player’s commitment to the team.
For every company, it will be great to have that kind of team who will go all out to win. And it’s not easy to create the environment to nurture that kind of team. It needs full support from everyone including the top management. And it needs to be constantly reinforced through action by manager and activities organized by the company.
So gather your people and let the game start.
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