THE DREAM THAT BUILDS A WINNING TEAM

Winning teams are built around more than talent, standards, or financial goals. They need a shared vision that gives their work meaning and inspires them to push through resistance. When a team believes deeply in what it is trying to achieve, individual effort becomes collective purpose. Leaders must create that vision, communicate it often, and help every person understand why it matters.

The goal was to win a gold medal. Pride was on the line.

The United States hadn’t won a gold medal in men’s basketball since 2000. It was now 2008, and Coach K, the famed basketball coach from Duke, had agreed to lead the Olympic team.

Players included Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Jason Kidd, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James.

Getting Everyone on the Same Page

Coach K held a team meeting where he tried to get everyone on the same page. They bantered about standards and codes.

One player said everyone should be on time; no one should ever be late. Another stated that a standard should be that the team never has a bad practice.

The discussion continued, and ideas kept being swapped.

Coach K sensed the meeting was coming to an end, so he asked if anyone else had something they’d like to add.

It was then that LeBron raised his hand.

What LeBron Said Changed Everything

He announced:

“Coach, it has always been a dream of mine to win a gold medal.”

And there it was.

That became the shared dream of the team.

Without knowing it, LeBron had tapped into the desire of every player and coach on that Olympic team. It wasn’t simply that they wanted to win a gold medal. It was a dream—a goal—to win that medal.

With that shared vision, the 2008 Men’s Olympic basketball team won the gold medal at the games in Beijing.

Create a Shared Vision

Want to build a winning team?

Create a shared vision.

At its core, building a winning team requires leaders to create a vision that inspires commitment, unites people around a common purpose, and gives meaning to their daily work.

It can be simple or grand, but it must be believable and capture the hearts of your team.

Winning must include having a competent team, but it relies much more on having an impactful vision.

The vision of what is to be achieved must be big and inspiring enough to carry the team through doubt and resistance.

Whatever is to be accomplished will face hurdles and pushback. If the vision isn’t big enough, then the slightest bump can bring employees to a complete stop.

If they’re not convinced that what they’re doing matters, why would they push through when a roadblock occurs?

Give Them Something Worthwhile

When LeBron said it was a dream to win a gold medal, everything in that room changed.

It isn’t often that we get to do the stuff dreams are made of. But when we do, we give it our all.

To build a winning team, have a vision that will capture hearts.

If your big goal is “to make money,” then you won’t move the needle.

Should you announce, “Our vision is to be profitable, and if we’re not in 60 days, then everyone is fired,” there’s a good chance your team will bail before the deadline.

Give them a reason to be there that’s more than a paycheck.

People can earn money at any business. But most places don’t give them an opportunity to spend their days doing something worthwhile.

Repeat the Vision

Once you’ve landed the vision, work hard to get everyone on board with it, and then talk about it often.

You can’t just mention it once and expect to have won hearts.

Repeat the vision repeatedly.

Ask team members to repeat the vision and explain why it matters to them.

In three to six months, you’ll notice that everyone is sharing the same vision. When that happens, the team will be moving in the same direction—and that creates progress.

Create a shared vision that gives purpose and weight to the team’s efforts.

Drive the vision.

Don’t stop until people can eat, sleep, and breathe it.

Get everyone on the same page, and you’ll build an incredible team.

Creating Unparalleled Experiences,

CHRIS ADAMS

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