GOMOmentum for
 Building Wins

 Let’s apply Stallone’s quote to losses as well!

Last month, you heard about the telephone call from Heidi Soliday asking for ideas to break the on the road losing streak of the Iowa State Men’s basketball team. Over the next few days, I heard from major fans who wanted to hear more ideas for making their teams victorious. So here is another article emphasizing GOMOmentum. It is dedicated to the coaches as we enter into the NCAA playoffs.  However, you’ll find that the strategies are valuable for achieving your career and personal wins as well!

1. Give attention to the climate of your team.  Climate is about the extent to which coaches and players trust one another.  Climate references how members of a group feel about the way a team functions.  Understanding the climate of a team includes understanding the levels of honesty and openness within a team. Remember, it’s a unified team that wins championships

Key questions to ask that help you assess the climate of a team or of a work group include:

• Do team members believe that they can depend on one another?

• To what extent is there openness and trust on the team?

• Do team members feel free to offer their candid opinions?

• Do team members believe that each other member is willing to subordinate personal goals to meet the goals of the team?

2. Give attention to the cohesiveness of the team. Cohesiveness refers to the degree to which the group pulls together.  Cohesiveness requires agreement and commitment to what the team is in place to achieve (mandates, goals, and objectives) as well as how it will achieve them (values, priorities, and procedures). Working efficiently together builds success.  Key questions to help you evaluate the cohesiveness of your team or work group include:

• Are your goals and objectives crystal clear?

• Is your team on board with how to achieve success as a unit?

• Is each person’s role clearly defined and understood?

• Are disagreements confronted openly and honestly?

3. Give attention to each team member’s contribution to the team. Each team member must understand what is expected of his/her performance to contribute to the richest success of the team. To make this happen, information is shared openly, honest communicate is present, each understands his/her contribution, and each recognizes that individual behaviors impact the effectiveness of the team.  The bottom line?  Every team member can say with confidence, “I know the specific value that I contribute.”  Key questions to target team member contribution include:

• Does each team member accept responsibility for the success of the team?

• Do team members keep each other well informed?

• Do team members initiate the sharing of ideas to exploit the talents, skills and gifts of the team?

In our work with clients, we don’t know all of the answers, but we can ask  great questions for inviting clients to unleash the brilliance of their intellect, creativity, experience, and risk taking. Renowned management consultant Peter Drucker reminds us that “the best way to predict the future is to create it.”  Teams are positioned for incredible accomplishment when they accept, share, and exploit the brilliance they own.

Click here to learn more about Susan's signature concept, GOMO!® Get Over it; Move On