![]() ![]() He wanted that feeling again-the feeling of victory, the taste of being the best of the best. The captain of the most feared defense in the league wasn’t thinking about the endorsements that would come piling in. The 1985 Super Bowl MVP asked Parseghian, “How did you hold it together to achieve all those championship teams?” Mike Singletary wasn’t interested in the ticker tape parade. Linebacker Mike Singletary was about to be interviewed on national television and was waiting in the same room with Ara Parseghian, the legendary former Notre Dame coach. It was 1985, and the Chicago Bears had just won the Super Bowl. We can give people status and even self-esteem within our teams. We can create a team spirit so our people have a sense of belonging. Once you’ve assembled (or inherited) your team and come together for a common purpose, the question is, How do we sustain it? We move from these former silos that have become actual teams and ask, How do we fuel this high-level team performance? This takes us to the second part of Henry Ford’s quote. When this is understood, people take the focus off themselves and learn to appreciate and value each other. This common purpose increases our comfort levels and allows us to better accept those who might be different from us. When everyone is included and made to feel a part of the process or purpose, they find common ground-the ground on which effective social and working relationships are built. ![]() We have a natural psychological need for inclusion. Why? Because it meant we were the least gifted, the outcast-the one they had to choose because there was no other choice. We hoped and even prayed that we wouldn’t be the last one standing. We all remember standing in line in grade school waiting to hear our name called. To develop an executive team, each member must know and feel a sense of belonging or shared purpose. I would call this the common purpose phase. Working together is success.” It’s been my experience that the ultimate success in executive team and communication development can be found within this quote. It was Henry Ford who said, “Coming together is the beginning. But it's the people or a company’s high-performance teams that separates them from other companies. It’s a product, the service, dedication and excellence that separates companies from their competition. Certain characteristics distinguish these teams. Within that culture runs a smooth operating team. Organizations that consistently achieve high performance are supported by high-performance cultures. If you search for “team development skills” on Google, you will pull up nearly 44 million sites “communication skills” will draw 62 million choices! ![]() I thought of the countless seminars I’ve conducted or attended on teambuilding and effective communication. When asked to write about executive team and communication development, my mind raced. ![]()
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