by Lynda Silsbee
The success of the Seattle Seahawks can teach business leaders a great deal about leadership, teamwork, and alignment. To demonstrate how, we present an article by Lynda Silsbee, SPHR, founder and principal consultant at Performance Dimensions Group, a boutique consulting group that provides the resources and skills to nurture organizations along the path to achieving high performance.
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After making back-to-back trips to the Super Bowl the past few years (and winning it once), the two-time defending NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks fell just short of an epic comeback against the Carolina Panthers in this year’s NFL playoffs. Without question, Seattle has emerged as one of the elite teams in the NFL over the past 5 years, and their resiliency showed even in this recent playoff loss, where they fell down 31–0 on the road by halftime, only to score 24 unanswered points in the second half.
What has made the Seahawks so special? Some people attribute the success to the defense. Others credit Quarterback Russell Wilson’s passing game. And yet others attest it’s because Seattle has the best running back in the game, Marshawn Lynch. But the truth is that no one player really stands out more than any other. You can’t win a football game without every single position—offense and defense.
When it comes to teambuilding, what is most critical is getting everyone to think of themselves as a whole. It’s about creating a culture that thrives on working together, being the best that you can be. It’s about the WE. Coach Pete Carroll’s leadership style of competitiveness—identifying and maximizing the uniqueness of every player and coach, and thriving on a nurturing environment—allows his players (the Seattle Seahawks) to be themselves. And, most important, it focuses on accountability to the team. This idea of teambuilding can work on any level, including in your own organization.
Build Around Your Leadership
Inc.com recently published an article titled “5 Things Smart Managers Know About Building Teams.” These are the five things that were listed:
- Play to individual strengths: Is the employee in the right place so he or she can shine?
- Encourage transparency: Talk through issues and make sure team members understand one another.
- Establish ground rules: Make sure the team knows your leadership style and knows what goals are set.
- Let them know you have their backs: The team needs to know that they have unconditional support.
- Provide an incentive: Everyone enjoys a reward for achieving a goal. Sometimes the reward is achieving the goal itself and being recognized by one’s manager. Regardless—communicate what it is.
Successful leaders build productive teams when they understand their people, their strengths, and what gets them excited to work with others. Carroll is a perfect example of this type of leader—just look at his Win Forever Pyramid. Great leaders must know how effective they are and be willing to improve.
