Olympic Lessons in Teamwork
Watching the U.S. Men's Olympic swimming team win consecutive gold medals in relay events, I was struck by how much teamwork played a part in the victories. Well, duh, you say; they are a team, so "teamwork" is only natural.
But to me it went beyond the traditional all-for-one, one-for-all stuff. Here are three less-obvious lessons learned that can translate well to the workplace.
- Believe in the impossible. With the U.S.'s Jason Lezak trailing France's Alain Bernard by a seemingly insurmountable gap in the last leg of the 4x100 meter freestyle relay, it seemed as if the American outcome was bound to be silver. But then, says Lezak, he "got a super charge" and turned in the fastest 100-meter relay split in world history to bring home the gold medal for his team. And in the 4x200 meter relay, the team blew away the existing world record by more than four seconds. Impossible? Not in this team's vocabulary.
- Cheer your heart out. Who can forget the oft-replayed footage of American swimming superstar Michael Phelps screaming, clenching his fists and literally shaking with excitement as he urged teammate Lezak to his now-legendary finish? Surround your team with positive energy and be an unwavering supporter, and you'll be surprised with what they can accomplish.
- Give everyone a voice and a role. Although Phelps is undeniably the king of the pool right now, each member of the relay teams spoke out after the races (thanks in part to equitable reporting by NBC's Andrea Kremer). And despite Phelps' seemingly superhuman talents, the two team gold-medal performances wouldn't have happened without swimmers Lezak, Garrett Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones, Ryan Lochte, Peter Vanderkaay and Ricky Berens. The take-home message? While one (or more) members of your team might seem like top dog, don't forget to give equal time to the supporting cast. It might be your unsung heroes who lead you to victory.