It happens every season. You really need to look no further than professional sports to understand the distinction as clearly as the darkness of night separating the brightness of day. The distinction between star power and teamwork, and the impact of a shared vision.
New York and San Francisco
The journeys of the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants during this past week’s baseball playoffs couldn’t be more antithetical. The Yankees arrived into the finals of the American League Championship with a collection of highly paid superstars and visions of advancing to the World Series. The Giants, who assimilated “home grown” talent with players that they acquired in mid-season trades from teams whom no longer wanted their services, competed in the National League Championship with the same vision as the Yanks.
A Parallel Circumstance
As play progressed, both teams quickly found themselves in a deep hole against solid “old time” rivals, the Yankees down (three games to none) versus Detroit and the Giants (three games to one) versus St. Louis in their respective best of seven game series. The conundrum that they each created for themselves, however, is where the similarities end.
Non Verbal Signs
You could see it in the Yankees body language and on their faces. They played the final game as tightly wound individuals who seemed resigned to the fact that they were about to be ousted. They went down with a whimper, “swept” from the series (four games to none.) Their manager became the “lost leader” of a team without a collective heart and soul.
The Giants, conversely, believed in themselves. They “picked one another up” when an error was made or after a poor at bat. Subsequent to a hit, one could see the self assurance reflected in each baserunner’s eyes as they stood on base, glaring at their own dugout, their teammates cheering them on as the runner reciprocated with a fist pump. Last evening the Giants won their third straight game, winning the series (four games to three) and advancing their dream of a trip to the World Series. The Yankees, meanwhile, are making plans for 2013.
The St. Louis Cardinals, incidentally, reached the finals after losing one of the leagues’s most valuable players to free agency.
Fairfield County Real Estate Offices
I have seen a similar phenomenon in certain real estate offices throughout Fairfield County, Ct., dating as far back as the early 1990’s. A firm loses a top producer, sometimes more than one, and the expectation among those in the industry is that their volume and market share will plummet.
I know of three different scenarios, one in each of the last three decades, where contrarily the exact opposite occurred. Within two years, each of the offices actually saw their volume grow.
The Power of Many
There were various reasons that this occurred. In all three cases, as the spirit and energy level in the offices improved, so did the production of the remaining Realtors. The loyalists were better able to see where they fit in within the framework of the company culture.
Leadership, of course, also played a role. With a well defined vision, a team in place that shares that vision and one that is capable of carrying it out, the synergy that builds will exponentially outperform the work of individual “superstars” as more comprehensive minded superstars begin to grow. Similar to the teams alluded to above, the whole is greater that the sum of it’s parts.
Leadership, teamwork and a shared vision – it’s that simple!
What experiences do you have with the power of teamwork versus the accommodated superstar?
Would the power of a team be something that can benefit your existing business?
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