Quotes About Teamwork

I would suggest that the fundamental "information problem" faced by managers is not too little information but too much information. What we most need are ways to know what is important and what is not important, what variables to focus on and which to pay less attention to—and we need ways to do this that can help groups or teams develop shared understanding.

A shared vision is the first step in allowing people who mistrusted each other to begin to work together. It creates a common identity.

It's just not possible any longer to figure it out from the top, and have everyone else following the orders of the "grand strategist." The organizations that will truly excel in the future will be the organizations that discover how to tap people's commitment and capacity to learn at all levels in an organization.

If one member of a team sees a problem more systemically than others, that person's insight will get reliably discounted—if for no other reason than the intrinsic biases toward linear views in our normal everyday language.

When you ask people about what it is like being part of a great team, what is most striking is the meaningfulness of the experience. People talk about being part of something larger than themselves, of being connected, of being generative. It becomes quite clear that, for many, their experiences as part of truly great teams stand out as singular periods of life lived to the fullest. Some spend the rest of their lives looking for ways to recapture that spirit.

But he lacked a sense of urgency at key periods, and lacked a firm hand when one was sometimes called for. His greatest strength may have proved his greatest flaw—one that finally sunk John Jacob Astor's West Coast empire. Wilson Price Hunt vastly preferred cooperation to confrontation.

The Lakotas' concept of teamwork was deeply rooted in their view of the universe. A warrior didn't try to stand out from his fellow band members; he strove to act bravely and honorably, to help the group in whatever way he could to accomplish its mission.

Leadership is not about forcing your will on others. It's about mastering the art of letting go.

One thing I've learned as a coach is that you can't force your will on people. If you want them to act differently, you need to inspire them to change themselves.

what I like to call the spiritual nature of the game. I can't pretend to be an expert in leadership theory. But what I do know is that the art of transforming a group of young, ambitious individuals into an integrated championship team is not a mechanistic process. It's a mysterious juggling act that requires not only a thorough knowledge of the time-honored laws of the game but also an open heart, a clear mind, and a deep curiosity about the ways of the human spirit.

the best way to get players to coordinate their actions was to have them play the game in 4/4 time. The basic rule was that the player with the ball had to do something with it before the third beat: either pass, shoot, or start to dribble. When everyone is keeping time, it makes it easier to harmonize with one another, beat by beat.

mean a thing without the ring." To inspire the players, I adapted a quote from Walt Whitman and taped it on their lockers before the first game of the playoffs, against the Miami Heat. "Henceforth we seek not good fortune, we are ourselves good fortune." Everyone expected us to dance our way to the championship

Every now and then, to keep the players focused, he would ask them to nod their heads if they heard the word "defense...

Basketball is a great mystery. You can do everything right. You can have the perfect mix of talent and the best system of offense in the game. You can devise a foolproof defensive strategy and prepare your players for every possible eventuality. But if the players don't have a sense of oneness as a group, your efforts won't pay off. And the bond that unites a team can be so fragile, so elusive.

Rather than squeeze everybody into preordained roles, my goal has always been to foster an environment where the players can grow as individuals and express themselves creatively within a team structure.

I had always insisted on structured practices with a clear agenda that the players would receive ahead of time.

If your primary objective is to bring the team into a state of harmony and oneness, it doesn't make sense for you to rigidly impose your authority.

That's the essence of what it means to bring individuals together and connect them to something greater than themselves.

I've always been interested in getting players to think for themselves so that they can make difficult decisions in the heat of battle.

What I love about Monk's list is his basic message about the importance of awareness, collaboration, and having clearly defined roles

There's no I in the word 'team,'" Tex would say. "But there is in the word 'win,'" Michael would counter with a grin.

I added that Red Holzman used to say that "the real mark of a star was how much better he made his teammates.

What I discovered after years of meditation practice is that when you immerse yourself fully in the moment, you start developing a much deeper awareness of what's going on, right here, right now. And that awareness ultimately leads to a greater sense of oneness — the essence of teamwork.

Made people laugh. Dennis had a way of making everybody lighten up when things were tense. How could you get down on yourself when there's this crazy guy on the team who had dyed his hair with a big yellow happy face?