That brings us to the Cincinnati Bengals; a team that made the playoffs last year by winning all of their division games and that also made several key acquisitions prior to start of this season. The Bengals had great potential to repeat that performance this year. But if you have keep track of the team’s standings, they have lost many close games and appear to be headed for last place in their division.
ESPN analyst Jon Gruden may have explained it best when the Steelers played a Monday night game in Cincinnati. “The Bengals have potential and the Steelers have production. The Bengals came into the season with probably the most potential in football, but that means nothing if you don't produce wins.” To rephrase that thought, the Steelers are utilizing the talent they have and generating wins. On the flip side, the Bengals have not found a way to make use of their skilled players, resulting in a losing season. So what makes one group of players perform to their potential and another one fail to perform?
According to author Cynthia Clay, the characteristics of a high-performing team are:
- Shared purpose and direction
- Motivating goals
- Commitment to individual and team roles
- Multi-directional communication
- Authority to decide or act
- Reliance on diverse talents
- Mutual support and trust
The term used in the NFL is “the system.” Each coach creates a process for how the team interacts and if a player wants to become a contributor to that team, they have to buy into the system. Of course, if the coach doesn’t design these procedures for collaboration, then there is no structure to guide the players. Just like a boat without a rudder, if there is no guidance, you run a greater risk of not reaching the desired destination. What are the characteristics of a team without structure?
It stands to reason the characteristics of an ineffective team would be the antithesis of a high-performing team:
- Unclear or divergent purpose
- Unmotivated
- Uncommitted players
- Poor or lack of communication
- Un-empowered
- Missing necessary skills
- Poor (or lack of a safe) environment
In the case of the Bengals—as well as many businesses— there are personnel in place with the talent and proper skills to be successful. Carson Palmer and Terrell Owens have become one of the most productive duos in the league. However, if the whole team is not working with the same purpose, then the entire organization suffers. This seems to be the situation with the Bengals and, as a result they are losing games they should easily win. For business, this lack of collaboration leads to lost opportunities and sales.
My point is this: you can have all the right people on board, but if you do not have the proper organization and processes in place, your team will not be able to produce to their maximum potential. This situation applies equally to football teams, resellers and OEMs. While they could potentially get an occasional win and score a touchdown from time to time (or net a big sale in the case of a business), without the right procedures they won’t be operating at optimal performance. If your competition is more refined and tuned, their team may be the one that wins your division.
