Traits of Great Teams

TRAITS OF GREAT TEAMS

Throughout history and business there have been unique collections of individuals who accomplished extraordinary feats. These great groups and their leaders had the following dynamics in common:
1. They encouraged creativity by taking the sting out of failure.
2. Leaders of these groups knew their people longed for meaning so they created "missions" and bold visions. Their people feel part of something special.
3. Great groups define and motivate themselves in terms of an enemy. This creates energy, urgency and focus.
4. Leaders of great groups allow their members to discover their own greatness.
5. Leaders of great groups have the ability to find superb people and put them in the right niche.
6. Leaders of great groups don't micromanage.
7. Leaders of great groups recruit people who are willing and able to collaborate with one another.
8. Leaders of great groups don't burden their gifted teams with arbitrary rules; instead they work as facilitators.
9. Great groups are characterized by lofty goals, great ambition, a sense of being the best and having the potential to change their industry or the world.
10. Great groups are rarely democracies. They almost always have strong leaders that keep things on course.
11. Great groups who collaborate want to do the next thing, not repeat the last one.
12. Great groups often work murderous hours, often with deadlines that cause stress levels to soar.
13. Great groups tend to be nonhierarchical and free from bureaucracy.
14. Great groups are unrealistic places where optimism pervades the atmosphere.
15. Leaders of great groups are confident enough to recruit people better than themselves.
16. People in great groups are always stretching because of the giants around them.
17. Leaders of great groups recruit people for crusades, not jobs. They engage in 'holy wars.'
18. Members of great groups share information freely and subordinate their personal agenda to the good of the team.
Commentary
Great groups are products of strong leaders who put their egos in check. They know that "none of us is as smart as all of us." They run vision-driven organizations, recruit the best people for the task, give them direction, remove obstacles and keep them on course. Their organizations are places of action where people long to produce good work. A prime responsibility of leaders of great groups is to keep the team focused and harmonious while keeping stress in check.

Great groups are not limited by realism. They bite off more than they can chew. They survive being "successful" and strive to reach their full potential. They are on a quest to find out how great they can be.

Members of great groups have respect for one another's strengths and work within those areas. They create a positive peer pressure that flushes out the faint of heart and leaves no room for the uncommitted. Great groups don't happen accidentally. A strong leader constructs, coaches, focuses and leads the group to victory.

Common Traits of Uncommon Teams
by Dave Anderson
"grappling for excellence"
Coach Bodnar
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Pasco High School Wrestling

Best of the West Duals

December 19-20, 2007

TRAC Arena- Pasco, WA

32 Team Dual Style Wrestling Tournament

Entry Fee: $200.00 for 20 wrestlers

Tournament Director

Bob Bodnar

Contact: coachbodnar@gmail.com