Reflections
Letter from the President and CEO
Tackling Teamwork
FROM:
JAN-FEB 2005 ISSUE
Why do something on your own when you can do so much more as a team? I've always believed that teamwork is the key to any successful endeavour, be it a company, a professional organization, or a football franchise.
Teamwork, you say. Everybody talks about teamwork. But what does it mean? For me it means collaboration and cooperation, with room for healthy debate. It means "we" rather than "I" and supporting each other to maximize performance.
Jack Welch, General Electric's legendary leader from 1981 to 2001, understood the importance of teamwork. Despite his enormous talent and ability, he understood that no one person can do it all and he assembled one of the most successful management teams in corporate history.
Combined effort, focus, and a common goal. Put them all together and it's amazing what people can achieve. That's why I believe that through teamwork we can continue to make the CGA designation better and stronger. If we zero in on our common objectives and use our collective skill, insight, and determination, there is nothing we can't accomplish.
As many of you know, I'm a big football fan and in football terms it's called total team effort. A combined effort, through blocking and tackling, is similarly critical to this organization and the 62,000 plus individuals it represents. I know from personal experience that challenges not only seem, but are, less daunting in a highly supportive environment.
What's my role in all of this, as CGA-Canada's president and chief executive officer? I believe in empowering people to do what they've been asked or hired to do. Often it means getting out of the way and resisting the urge to micromanage a situation. My job is to help unite people around a vision and assist them in making that vision a reality.
Welch who, at age 44, was GE's youngest CEO, said that leaders — be they managers or senior executives — shouldn't have the time to meddle, deal in trivia, or bother people. They should lead by example. Empower your staff to take action, Welch urged, and your entire team will be more effective and productive. It's a philosophy I admire and one I hope I can live by.
Some management theorists compare teams to families. Team members, they say, don't always see eye-to-eye. Of course, this is both common and understandable. But successful teams — like successful families — know the benefits of resolving their differences and in the process become stronger and wiser.
Vince Lombardi, one of the National Football League's most accomplished and respected coaches, described the necessity of teamwork this way: "Individual commitment to a group effort — that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work."
Lombardi never suggested that working as a team is without its challenges. It requires congeniality and mutual trust. But he urged his players to stay focused. "Winning isn't everything," he insisted, "but wanting to win is."
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