The sport of Motown?

Between writing the book with Coach Kruger and preparing entries for this blog, I have spent much of the past two years examining the parallels between teamwork in business, life and sports.

Today, we are calling an audible. Let’s talk about the teamwork needed in producing a live, Motown musical experience. After all, it’s the same type of teamwork needed in any sport, business or family.

Had the opportunity recently to take in the new Las Vegas show featuring the amazingly talented Australian vocal group, Human Nature, at the Imperial Palace. Presented by Smokey Robinson, the show is appropriately subtitled, “The Ultimate Celebration of Motown.”

The four-man group’s a cappella versions of Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready” as well as Robinson’s own “Ooh Baby Baby” were nothing short of spectacular. Forget emotional, the performances were spiritual.

But what also captivated me throughout the evening was watching the team work together. There is a formula to the success of such groups. It requires all four members of the team to be humble enough to understand and honor their own ever-changing roles throughout the entire performance.

In the premier Motown-style groups, three of the four vocalists are strong enough singers to be the front man at any given time. They are each talented enough to be in the spotlight and lead the entire show. However, those same three performers must also be willing to fall back to simply being a back-up singer and supporting one of his teammates at various times throughout the performance.

Noticing this, I found myself intrigued watching the “back-up” singers during the last half of the show. They always played their roles, never trying to do too much (sometimes even seconds after being the center of attention). It was time for their teammate to shine, not them.

While this was happening, two things about teamwork in this industry became very apparent. First, the simplicity of the dance steps caught my attention. Imagine one person doing the Motown-style dance steps by himself. (You might chuckle.) The moves are rather basic and, in fact, can be a bit hokey. But performed together with two or three other members in unison, the simple dance steps create magic. The same thing can be said about our lives at work, in the community and at home. If we keep doing the simple things that we are supposed to do every day – in unison with and in support of those around us – magic can happen.

Second, my admiration grew for the fourth member of the group – the bass. While he may have his special moment or two during the show – designed specifically for him to show off his deep voice – his job is to provide a foundation for the rest of the vocals to build upon. The bass is basically out of the spotlight for 95% of the show. However, without a talented bass, any such vocal group will fail. The performer in this position must be humble enough to understand his role is to make his teammates look better – much like an offensive lineman in football or a pass-first point guard in basketball.

For Motown-style groups, there needs to be as much harmony in their actions as they have in their voices. These are lessons all of us can use in our lives with all of our different teammates.

Hopefully, we are strong enough to be lead singers when called upon. But it takes even stronger individuals to also be able to serve as great back-up singers when that is what is required.

Are you making plays for teammates?

LeBron gets it.

In the March 25, 2009 edition of Sports Illustrated, Dan Patrick’s “Just My Type” column featured a Q&A with NBA MVP LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Here is one of Patrick’s questions with James’ answer:

Dan Patrick: Which would mean more: making a game-winning shot or dishing off for a game-winning shot?

LeBron James: Passing to a teammate and him hitting the game-winner. That means I’ve drawn the defense or drawn a double team and gotten a guy open. And to see a teammate succeed is the ultimate for me.

The other best player on the planet – Kobe Bryant – displayed this same type of philosophy last night in the Lakers’ vital game five win over Denver. Bryant took just 13 shots while adding eight assists in a must-win game for Los Angeles.

No play was more crucial than Bryant’s highlight assist to Lamar Odom with a minute left in the fourth quarter which all but put the game away. With the shot clock winding down, Bryant rose for an apparent three-point attempt which drew defenders. However, at the last moment, Bryant zipped the ball to Odom under the basket for an easy bucket plus a foul.

LeBron and Kobe. Kobe and LeBron. However you stack it, they are the two best players in the world. But neither player can win on his own. Yes, there are times they both must carry their respective teams and more often than not, they will be the guys who take the shot at the buzzer. (If you were the coach, that’s who you would want shooting the ball too, right?)

But the best leaders – in sports, in business, in our communities, in our homes – understand the better they make their teammates look, the more they will succeed.

Do you live your life wanting to make those around you look good? Do you consciously make an effort to put those around you in a position to succeed? Or, do you focus on getting credit for everything good that happens?

Successful individuals come from successful teams.

Successful teams are not made up of individuals who are concentrating on individual success and accolades. Instead, these teams are made up of strong and secure individuals who are striving to make their teammates look good.

And in the end, these individuals will receive the due accolades.

Just like James said, “To see a teammate succeed is the ultimate for me.”

Can you say the same thing?

One Loss Cannot Lead to Another

Watching the Los Angeles Dodgers without suspended superstar Manny Ramirez is intriguing right now. Despite holding the best record in baseball, the young team is extremely fragile at the moment.

Immediately following news of Manny’s positive drug test – which will sideline him for 50 games – the Dodgers lost four of their next five games and it was evident the team’s confidence had been shaken. However, with two victories over the World Series champion Phillies in Philadelphia this week, the Dodgers captured a key series victory on the road.

The team will struggle at times without Manny – there is no doubt about that. But the series victory over the Phillies may have kept the Dodgers from falling into a deep tailspin caused by the difficult and embarrassing loss of their best player.

As Lesson #29 from The Xs & Os of Success addresses, “One Loss Cannot Lead to Another.” Many of our organizations have suffered losses recently. We have to make sure we are not allowing those losses to have bigger impacts than they should. Here are a few words from this lesson:

We have all had our bad days at work.

Lost a client. Failed to close a deal. Did not meet expectations on a project. Missed sales numbers.

Business is like sports. You will not win every game. The key to being successful, however, is how you react to failure.

As a leader, your responsibility is to help your team and team members recover from failure as quickly as possible and grow from the experience. Many of us tend to spend a great portion of our time after a failure rationalizing why we failed and harping upon variables that were out of our control. While there are times external variables do play major roles in our failure, it does not benefit us to focus on them and it definitely does not help us “play the next play.”

The first step in moving forward from failure is admitting fault and taking ownership of the unsuccessful results. Only from this point will you be able to identify which variables — those you do have control of — led to the negative situation. Once these have been identified, you can then create a plan that will allow you to positively address those areas and make improvement…

The biggest winners in sports and business all lose at times. What separates them from the rest is how quickly and proactively they move on from their losses. They never allow one loss to be the cause of another loss.

Not Always Right

The New Economy has forced many of us to make decisions we never thought we would have to make. And, unfortunately, most of those are decisions we never wanted to make.

There has been a lot of positive feedback from Lesson #23 in the book, The Xs & Os of Success. It’s called “Not Always Right.” The philosophy of “Not always right, but always motivated by the right reasons” is helping many decision-makers during this time. (I know. I am one of them.)

Here's a little taste of the lesson. Hope there is a message in it you can use.

Decisions made by leaders impact numerous people. Many times one decision will impact certain team members positively while that same decision will impact another group of team members negatively.

These are the moments that make or break leaders.

Often times “being right” is subjective. Because of this, making such crucial decisions can be hazardous for leaders. Thus, the decision-making process then becomes the most important factor in this entire situation.

As a leader, you must ask yourself, “What is motivating me to make this decision?” Ultimately, your decision-making process should be consistent and should always come back to what is best for the overall good of the team and its objectives.

If your decision-making process is grounded in this philosophy, you will maintain the trust of your team members, even when a decision may negatively impact them.

Like parents who want the best for their children, successful leaders want what is best for the people they are leading. However, with their team members’ best interests at heart, there is a time to say “no” and there are times to hold team members accountable.

Leaders will always have their decisions questioned. That is part of the job. Effective leaders, however, never give people a reason to question their motives for making such decisions.

An Underdog's Margin of Error

“So, D.J., what’s your favorite lesson from the book?”

It’s a simple question I have been asked time and time again since The Xs & Os of Success: A Playbook for Leaders in Business and Life was released last November. The question is fair, but difficult. (I may be a little biased, but I tend to like all 40 of the lessons.) However, there are certain lessons which stand out to me for different reasons and at different times.

As I am preparing for a number of presentations over the next couple of months, there is one lesson seemingly taking center-stage during these tough economic times – Lesson #7, “An Underdog’s Margin of Error.”

Think any of these words below from the lesson describe us as a nation?

The most successful teams are the teams who have the top talent available, the confidence of a champion and the focus of an underdog.

For many reasons, however, these teams rarely exist.

It is obvious that not every team will have the top talent available — in fact, most teams will not. And, of course, without producing any results, having the confidence of a champion can be difficult.

However, there is one thing all teams should work to obtain — performing with the focus of an underdog. Unmatched focus can overcome many obstacles, including a lack of talent, and allow performance at the highest level possible.

The top leaders have a knack for keeping their teams hungry, keeping their teams focused on what needs to be done each and every day to achieve overall success. They focus on every possession, every detail and give nothing away.

When you are the underdog in sports or in business, there is no margin for error. To win, you must take advantage of every opportunity which presents itself to you. Without focus, this is not possible.

Eventually, however, this increased focus will help to produce results, which will lead to the opportunity for your team to have the confidence of a champion. And, finally, it will help lead your team to attracting the best talent available.

It is important at this point not to forget about where you and your team started — as the underdog. No matter what talent you have or what confidence you have, compete as though you are the underdog. Compete as though you have no margin for error. This type of focus is unmatched.

It’s fair to say we – as a nation – stopped embracing our role as the underdog. After all, being the favorite is so much easier on our egos.

Unfortunately, look where it took us.

Checking your alignment

One of the most important elements of playing golf is alignment.

You may strike a ball perfectly sending it long and straight, but if you are not aligned with your target correctly prior to hitting the ball, it might not matter. The outcome may be detrimental despite striking the ball as well as you possibly can.

It’s easy for a lot of golfers to skip right to the part where we focus on our swings and try to make good contact with the ball. Many times we do this without giving our alignment the attention it needs. We “think” or “feel” as though we are aligned perfectly with our targets. However, sometimes a simple three-to-six inch adjustment in alignment on the tee box can mean the difference between landing a drive in the middle of the fairway – or landing it in the middle of the Andersons’ backyard.

The same can be said for us in life and business.

In today’s world, we are addicted to doing. We "feel" as if we need to be getting things done and moving forward at all times.

The problem with moving forward all of the time, however, is simple. If we were not aligned to be moving in the right direction initially, the more we move ahead on the wrong path the further away we are moving from where we really want to be.

Most of us “think” or “feel” we are going exactly where we want to go. This is dangerous. Like in golf, something may “feel” right to us simply because we have conditioned ourselves to become comfortable with our own bad habits. Just because we perceive we are aligned correctly does not mean we actually are.

Every once in a while it’s healthy for all of us to slow down, step back and take time to readjust our alignments.

This is important both professionally and, of course, personally. Have a blessed weekend.

Just the New Economy being the New Economy

With the pains of our New Economy come opportunities. Just ask the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Last season's trade that sent Manny Ramirez from Boston to Los Angeles changed the entire landscape of the National League. Overnight, the Dodgers went from being just another average member of the average National League West to being one of the best teams in the Majors over the final two months of the season.

In fact, the Dodgers captured the division title and went on to sweep the Cubs in the playoffs – the Dodgers' first playoff series win since 1988. Mannywood had changed baseball in Hollywood. But not for long. At the end of the season, Ramirez became a free agent. With super-agent Scott Boras calling the shots, Ramirez was reportedly looking for a five-year deal worth $125 million.

And he was still looking four months later. Why? Despite being arguably the best hitter in baseball, a long-term deal would have come with two major concerns - 1) he'll be 37 this May; and 2) there are concerns about Manny's long-term impact in the clubhouse. Throw in the variable of a collapsing market and Manny was still looking for a job come March. Advantage: Dodgers. Their original two-year, $45-million proposal - which Boras and Ramirez initially scoffed at - was agreed to. Mannywood II went into production in Los Angeles.

Had the market not tanked, odds are someone would have thrown the $125 million or so at Manny, despite all the risk involved. The Dodgers decided early on that would not be them and stuck to the plan. (A plan that would have included them sinking back into the world of also-rans this season without Manny's bat in the lineup.) But ultimately, the Dodgers took advantage of the opportunity the New Economy presented to them. They resigned Manny for a minimal-risk deal and are now one of the favorites in the National League. If the Manny experiment does not work the second time around, they can get out quick. However, if it does work out anything like last season, their ROI will be incredible.

So what advantages are being presented to you by the New Economy? Most of us are so focused on the challenges being presented to us that we are not taking time to recognize the advantages.

A couple of months ago I had breakfast with one of the brightest financial minds in the Southwest. His message of hope was simple - those who will thrive in the New Economy will be leaner than ever before. Those organizations may not look or feel the same as they did pre-New Economy, but that will be a good thing. Both our private and public sectors will be more efficient. We - as a nation - will evolve into a finely-tuned machine for survival's sake.

Since that conversation, our team has embraced this way of thinking as we have searched for our opportunities brought on by the New Economy? Surprisingly, we have found many of them. The opportunities do not take the current challenges away from us, but they have given us a new focus and certainty for a better tomorrow.

Simply trying to survive the economic downturn is no longer an option. Find the opportunities the New Economy is presenting to you and embrace them. They are out there – in fact, there are “manny” more than you might think.

Tiger's comeback win a "small" thing

Tiger Woods is the most-dominating sports figure in the world. He reminded us of this with his come-from-behind victory on Sunday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando.

The victory for Woods at Bay Hill marked his first win - in just three tries - since returning from reconstructive knee surgery he underwent nearly 300 days ago.

But what was so big about Tiger's return is actually the smallest of things - his putting. Not the 12-foot birdie on the 18th hole he rolled in at dusk for the win or even the 25-foot birdie he drained on the 15th to finally catch Sean O'Hair (who started the day leading Woods by five strokes). Those are the putts that are replayed over and over on highlight shows.

Instead, it was the 50-plus putts Wood had during the four days of the tournament of six feet or less. He never missed one of them - not one. That is why Tiger is Tiger. He takes care of the small things - the short putts - better than anyone in the game.

More than any other athlete in the world, Tiger has a flair for the dramatic. But he puts himself in that position time after time because he takes care of the small details on a routine basis. If Tiger would have missed just one of those short putts throughout the tournament, his 12-foot birdie on the 18th would not have won him the tournament. However, we never see those small things on highlight reels, thus, we don't value them as much as we should.

When it comes to business, all-stars become all-stars by taking care of what they need to take care of on a daily basis. They do what they say they are going to do. By making sure all of the details are handled, they put themselves in position to succeed - with clients, employees, bosses, co-workers, vendors, etc.

It takes great commitment and discipline to be great everyday - great when it comes to handling the small things. But if we aren't taking care of the small things with precision, we are just kidding ourselves that we will be successful when we get a big opportunity.

Be great everyday by taking care of the small details. Tiger does.