WHY YOU SHOULD THINK OF YOUR EMPLOYEES LIKE ATHLETES ON A TEAM

We came across an interesting article recently. Titled “what the NBA can teach Wall Street about winning”, the piece explores how players and partners are evaluated.

While we’re certainly not in the finance sphere, the author drew on some important parallels with the business world and, specifically, professional coaches and trainers.

Wall Street relies heavily on stats to measure individual performance. The problem is, “they ignore the reality that companies are complex entities with dynamic linkages between individuals and teams.”

NBA and Major League Baseball are great examples of pioneering a movement towards rethinking conventional metrics of assessment. Most importantly, redefining how individual performance is linked to the success of a team.

“Whether on the field or in the boardroom, the strongest teams consider various facets of players’ abilities and how they contribute to the team, not just individual statistics.”

The article draws on an example of a “mediocre” player, on paper. Shane Battier’s numbers weren’t great, but his team won 22 games straight. His “invisible strengths” weren’t discovered, until the NBA deployed a different approach to analytics.

What does this mean, for you?

If you’re a professional trainer, CEO or team leader, it’s important to recognise that there’s more to a person than their resume. Ultimately, winning teams are built through a string of personnel decisions… who you hire, promote, and assign inputs to.

You’re probably thinking, what metric system is critical?

You’ll have internal structures in place for specific roles. Don’t ignore this. Every company and culture are different. But, what the NBA and MBL can teach us is the value of first, knowing your ‘positions’, and second (and most important), how those roles complete the team.

In other words, know your individuals and their strengths, but think from a holistic, team perspective.

Use Tick’s personality tools to get to know your individuals.

Our personality profiles are designed for team members. Like the NBA have positions, your company will have a strategic bird type that fits every role in the team. Yes, there will be a job description. But there should also be a ‘personality description.’

Have fun mapping out your ‘positions’ and what each member brings to the team. Check out how Adelaide University use Tickas a visual aid for planning and projecting.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q2f5T-NTTGo

No matter how big your team is, Tick is a useful tool. Use the red form to fill in your details and we’ll send 3 free trials to you to try it out.

Everyone wins, when you think as a team.