What is Teamwork in Sports? Does it Apply in Worklife?

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” is a famous quote from Michale Jordan which emphasises the value of teamwork for the success of a team. 

The core of teamwork is working together with each other in order to achieve a goal. The performance of the team is improved by teamwork but this is not the only benefit of teamwork. We learn other lessons about life once we are engaged in a team and work with other people for something we all want. 

The togetherness of the team is the source of team spirit which can only be created when the team is led by a proper leader. In the work environment, similar rules apply which is why they are taught in business schools today. 

Effective teamwork is a crucial component of success in a business purely because it consists of different parts functioning toward a common goal whether it's winning a game or making profits in business. Teams develop for a reason: to reach a desired outcome. In order to achieve this, there needs to be common understanding between the team members and the leader for a successful collaboration.

Teamwork in Sports

Best teams are those who have learned to work together. There are many benefits of teamwork in sports which can inspire us in other aspects of our lives including work. One of the key advantage of teamwork is cooperation. We can learn to cooperate with our fellow team mates even if we’re not so fond of them. 

One learns how to put personal differences aside and concentrate on what is good for the team only when one works with a team. Team members need to understand that the team is more important than individual players. Granted, team sports require the players to have skills and capabilities for the team to be successful. However, there needs to be more than skills and talent to reach a common goal. 

Each individually talented player needs to connect and interact with the other players for the team to reach their target and work together toward a common goal. Each member also needs to leave aside his personal differences, allowing the team to feel like an integrated group of people who are there to build a successful collaboration. 

This can be translated as, individual desires to display talent and skills should be removed from the equation. Success in sports is possible when there’s team work in place and the team spirit required for team work can be established by a leader. 

Leadership in Sports

Leadership in sports is explained as forming strategies for the members of the team and making them understand how they can use their talents during the challenge. An effective leader needs to establish a team culture to start with. Carlo Ancelotti, winner of the UEFA Champions League multiple times as a coach and as a player says “The key to success for a coach lies in the relationship he holds with his players.” Coaches, in other words, leaders have a profound and lasting impact on their athletes and their teams. 

Their behaviour and ways affect the members of the team in multiple dimensions which make up the source for a team culture. Team culture involves not only the members of the team: the players, but also each and every assisting person working for the team. 

The leader chooses and combines the talents of the players who differ from one another in terms of character, talents, skills, preferences and so forth. Obviously, in a group of players, each member has different strengths and the leader is the person who should recognise these to lead the team for the common good of every member. The leader naturally finds himself in a position where he has to form close and long term relationships with the team members.

Team Dynamics

All social organisations, community groups and sports use teams to accomplish goals. The dynamics of teams determine if these goals will be met in an efficient manner. In this regard, unseen forces that exist in a team between different people or groups are called team dynamics. Team dynamics strongly influence how a team reacts, behaves, or performs. 

The dynamics of a team depend on each team member and can be affected by personalities of team members and the relationship between the leader of the team and its members. Once again, the leader of the team plays a role in team dynamics and has a direct impact on the performance of the members. In order to create high performing teams and guarantee effective teamwork, the leader needs to understand the dynamics of the team extensively and operate accordingly. 

A healthy competition between the team members and an understanding of good communication are crucial factors for success. Whether in sports or in the workplace, team dynamics remain as a component which needs to be addressed by any leader managing teams. Teamwork speakers also can help for this. 

How to Lead a Team in Sports?

We all know that participating in sports helps people develop confidence and make quick decisions necessary in leadership skills. Leadership skills can affect the team in a way which makes a good team a great one. In other words the leader has to deal with duties and responsibilities to make sure team members are working together toward a common goal.

These duties include the following:

• Instructing the team members about the technical and practical knowledge of the sports they’re playing.
• Approaching the team members not necessarily like a director but with compassion and understanding. Team spirit will be stronger when the relationship is friendly.
• Supporting the team members so as to discover their strong traits, mentioning their efforts regularly enough so as to motivate them. Also the leader needs to be feeding the members with the right elements of knowledge and motivation so as to overcome their shortcomings.
• Being aware of the new developments in the field of sports they’re playing and making sure the team members are informed about them.
• Managing the relationships among the team members and the executives as well as the other parties who work for the team. Forming positive relationships with other teams.
• Before the season starts, prepare a work schedule for the team in terms of training and make sure the training schedule is strong enough for the season.

Leadership Types in Sports

In sports the goal of the team is to win which makes the need of a leader essential. Just like at work, the leader approaches the work mates differently. Following are the types of leaders in sports:

• Democratic leader: This type of leader asks every member of the team to take responsibility while defining what needs to be done and how on the way to success. In other words, this type of leader equally delegates the responsibility among the members of the team.
• Autocratic leader: Putting himself in the core of the matter, this type of leader directs the team with an approach centred towards the leader. The leader decides the goals of the team as well as who takes responsibility for which goal to be attained.
• Liberal leader: The level of authority of the leader, both democratic and autocratic, is the same but how this authority is used is different from one another. Liberal leaders, however, have less authority. Team members are given the liberty of planning, depending on their skills and capabilities. It’s worth mentioning that this type of leadership has the potential of making different goals emerge within the team members.

There’s a strong connection between leadership and team success just as there’s a serious connection between sports and healthy living. This connection also matters for work life. When doing any kind of sports, one needs to follow a plan and when a team wishes to win there needs to be planning and implementing with the guidance of a leader.

Speaker Agency offers sports speakers who share their leadership experiences along with their knowledge of running a team. Please refer to our website and check out our sportive speakers like Perry McCarthy and Felicity Aston for a better understanding of teamwork, leadership and success.