One of SalesCooke’s most significant role models was the late Michigan Football Coach Bo Schembechler. It was Schembechler who, when talking about his football philosophies, would say “it is all about the team, the team, the team.” SalesCooke has always aligned with this philosophy. Whether it is a sports team or a business, the success of the program is dependent upon the strength of the team.
Recently, SalesCooke spoke with Carol “Hutch” Hutchins, Head Softball Coach at the University of Michigan. She has built an elite program in the snow and cold of Michigan in a sport that is generally dominated by warm climate schools. Her teams are consistently regarded as one of the top teams in the country year after year. I wanted to find out how critical the concept of team is to her success.
She happily provided perspective on how she incorporates the team dynamics into her very successful softball program. Hutch emphasized three things:
1. Building a strong team is cultural. The goals, the vision and the expectations of her program never change from year-to-year. Achieving these goals requires a total team effort. As the goals and expectations and the team concept become ingrained in the team year after year, the expectations and the process become a key part of the culture of the program. Emphasizing teamwork and having a strong team mindset is not a “flavor of the day” slogan, it is an integral component of the organization.
2. A strong team is dependent upon effective and strong leadership. Every year Coach Hutch graduates a class of players and brings in a group of freshman to the team. The newer players are exposed to the culture, the expectations and the tradition by the older players. It is up to the senior players to provide the leadership necessary to establish the team concept. Coach Hutch expects her players to strive to leave the program in a better place than where it was when they arrived. This challenges the players to not only embrace the culture of the team, but to build on it and strengthen it. That fosters is true leadership in the team dynamic.
3. The team drives for excellence in everything it does. Coach Hutch talked about how the team protects the “Block M” every time it takes the field. The team is not only representing itself; but it also represents the University of Michigan as a whole. This represents an interesting dynamic for businesses. Excellence is not just measured by doing your job, or your department or division doing its job. No. Excellence is measured in how well you drive the team to represent the company and all that it stands for. The concept of team in an organization goes beyond performance. It goes to the core of what the organization is and stands for. Strong teams will strive to defend, protect and uphold the values and the culture of the company everyday.
Building a strong and sustainable business requires an exceptional team. To put that team in place your business must have the right culture, strong leadership and an unwavering commitment to excellence at all levels. Focus on building that team. It is the key to your success!