The difference between winning and losing in team sports always seems to reflect the quality of team unity.
A team of individuals has difficulty winning. When teams come together and unite for their common good, high achievement can be expected.
The first observable sign of a leader is that she is a UNIFIER. Leaders are gifted to bring people together. Unity is created by intention. The same is true for division. It is easy to observe a team working in a divided culture.
At breakfast this weekend, I watched a divided team torture each other while failing miserably at customer service. It’s not unusual to see a restaurant team failing. The kitchen is hot and tempers flare easily.
But a transformational leader can walk into a hot environment and immediately change the temperature. A unifier quickly works to find common ground. The leader finds ways to achieve agreement even among disagreeable people.
A unifier helps the team see what can be done through teamwork. Working with a team is a matter of the heart that leads to intentional behavior. The leader takes action to reduce division and improve unity.
Look for these signs of unity:
1. Gossip is very rare. The water cooler is only used to drink water! It’s exciting to see a team transform from talking ABOUT people to talking WITH each other.
2. Peers hold each other accountable. It’s not OK to drop the ball. When correction comes from a teammate, the team is moving toward unity for a common goal.
3. Meetings are challenging. Eye rolling and checkout is kept to a minimum because team members are comfortable with healthy confrontation. Backstabbing is reduced because issues are handled in a meeting.
4. Efficiency is the rule. A unified team moves fast and accomplishes more than a dysfunctional team. The right things are done in the right order with team-driven excellence.
Effective leaders produce unified teams. Goals are communicated and welcomed. The team grows toward self-governance and high achievement. Productive teams produce future leaders.
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!” (Ps. 133:1).
Platform Tip No. 46
Your platform message works in context.
This is context.
Cows standing in a field.
If we place the cows on a window cleaning scaffold, we have the wrong context. It may be interesting and curious, but your message needs context.
Placing a newspaper ad in front of a television camera is not the right context for a TV message.
Your message works better in the right context.
Do you want to learn more about developing your personal platform?
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