A few days ago, I attended a valuable leadership retreat that focused on building cohesive teams. Last week, the Reds and Pirates were involved in a major league brawl. In no way at all do I condone the actions of violence they displayed although I do want to make a few quick connections to a cohesive team.
In our leadership retreat we learned that in a cohesive team, the foundation is TRUST and the pinnacle is RESULTS. I pulled out two quotes from Joey Votto's (Cincinnati Reds) post-game press conference that related to this.
First, he stated, "Today is a good example of our team standing up for each other." This is what leads to building trust in any relationship - but especially a team. Usually we look at change, challenges, and storms as bad things. However, they provide the opportunity for teammates to stand up for each other and prove their commitment to the team. They are a necessary component to building the foundation of cohesive teams. In our leadership retreat, one person stated how important it is to know that your teammates have your back. Joey Votto's statement demonstrated that he and his teammates proved this.
Second, he stated, "The best teams focus on winning on a day in and day out basis." You know your team is a cohesive team when it is focused on results. In order to get to this - the team has been through conflict, used it to help them grow, and have proven their trust and commitment to each other. They understand that in order for the team to get better they have to push and hold each other to be accountable for growth. When that has happened - the team is ready to focus on results and not get sidetracked with minor issues. Joey Votto acknowledged that this is the next step for his team - to move on past the drama and get focused on results.
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