The difference between winning and losing in team sports always seems to reflect the quality of team unity.
A team of individuals has difficulty winning. When teams come together and unite for their common good, high achievement can be expected.
The first observable sign of a leader is that she is a UNIFIER. Leaders are gifted to bring people together. Unity is created by intention. The same is true for division. It is easy to observe a team working in a divided culture.
At breakfast this weekend, I watched a divided team torture each other while failing miserably at customer service. It's not unusual to see a restaurant team failing. The kitchen is hot and tempers flare easily.
But a transformational leader can walk into a hot environment and immediately change the temperature. A unifier quickly works to find common ground. The leader finds ways to achieve agreement even among disagreeable people.
A unifier helps the team see what can be done through teamwork. Working with a team is a matter of the heart that leads to intentional behavior. The leader takes action to reduce division and improve unity.
Look for these signs of unity:
1. Gossip is very rare. The water cooler is only used to drink water! It's exciting to see a team transform from talking ABOUT people to talking WITH each other.
2. Peers hold each other accountable. It's not OK to drop the ball. When correction comes from a teammate, the team is moving toward unity for a common goal.
3. Meetings are challenging. Eye rolling and checkout is kept to a minimum because team members are comfortable with healthy confrontation. Backstabbing is reduced because issues are handled in a meeting.
4. Efficiency is the rule. A unified team moves fast and accomplishes more than a dysfunctional team. The right things are done in the right order with team driven excellence.
Effective leaders produce unified teams. Goals are communicated and welcomed. The team grows toward self-governance and high achievement. Productive teams produce future leaders.
"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!" (Ps. 133:1).
Platform Tip No. 46
Your platform message works in context.
This is context.
Cows standing in a field.
If we place the cows on a window cleaning scaffold, we have the wrong context. It may be interesting and curious, but your message needs context.
Placing a newspaper ad in front of a television camera is not the right context for a TV message.
Your message works better in the right context.
Do you want to learn more about developing your personal platform?
Send for my free series of lessons titled, "The Fundamentals of Creating, Curating and Developing Content for Multiple Platforms." Send your request to: [email protected].
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Dr. Steve Greene is the publisher and executive vice president of the media group at Charisma Media and executive producer of the Charisma Podcast Network. His book, Love Leads: The Spiritual Connection Between Your Relationships and Productivity, is now available.
Leaders, Dr. Greene wants to help you understand the spiritual connection between relationships and productivity. Read his new blog, here.
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