I have often wondered what makes teams, both in the business and sports worlds, successful. The most obvious point of view is that successful teams have the most talented individuals available. Whilst that much is obvious, it is definitely not enough. One only needs to look teams who seem to have an endless supply of talent but consistently underachieve. The most obvious example of this is Real Madrid, the Spanish football club who have superstars littered across all positions, but yet never scale the heights that they are supposedly capable of. On the flipside, you get teams who are supposed no-hopers but yet they achieve great things. Teams like the Greek football team who in 2004 won the European Championship with a team of average club players, or the Bulls super rugby team who in 2002 lost all of their Super 12 games, but a mere 8 years later are the most successful South African franchise in the history of the game. In the business world, Apple Computers were on the brink of bankruptcy until the launch of iTunes and the iPod, which changed the face of the music industry forever and since then Apple have gone onto much greater things, and in some cases have overshadowed their much maligned competitors, Microsoft.
But what makes these teams, groups, and companies so special? How do some achieve the impossible when the rest of the world writes them off? Leadership is obviously a very important factor, but I believe there is far more to it than that. The key lies in Emotional Intelligence, or more specifically Group Emotional Intelligence. In the business world it has long been accepted that EQ (Emotional Quotient) is just as if not more important than IQ (Intelligence Quotient). Many companies these days will conduct tests for potential employees determining their EQ before employing them, a strategy that has proved very successful. For those who are unfamiliar with the concept, Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence (New York: Bantam, 1995), defines Emotional Intelligence (EQ) as the ability to manage your own emotions. If IQ is your brain power, then EQ is your emotional control power.
However, Emotional Intelligence (hereafter referred to as EQ) in groups is quite different to individual EQ. In other words, a group of people with high individual EQ’s does not necessarily translate into a high Group EQ. The group, or team, needs to be seen as a separate entity and as such must have its own character. Creating an upward, self-reinforcing spiral of trust, group identity and group efficacy requires more than just individuals who display a high level of EQ. It requires an atmosphere whereby the norms build emotional capacity and influence emotions in a constructive manner. The team must be aware of the emotions of its members, the general emotions of the group as a whole, and the emotions or moods of other teams or competitors. Study after study has shown that teams are far more efficient and successful when they can achieve high levels of participation, cooperation, and collaboration among members. But truly interactive behaviours like these aren’t easy to set as a norm. Three basic conditions need to be in place before these behaviours can occur: Mutual trust among members, a sense of team identity (a feeling among members they belong to something unique and special), and a sense of team efficacy (a feeling among members that the team can perform well and that members are more effective working together than working apart). Group emotional intelligence is not about dealing with the necessary evil of suppressing emotions before they bubble up and cause a problem, far from it. In fact the essence of group emotional intelligence is bringing emotions to the surface and understanding how they affect the team’s performance. It’s also about behaving in ways that build relationships both inside and outside the team and strengthen the team’s ability to face challenges.
It is also the reason the why certain sport players can perform like a world class individual at club level, but never seems to replicate that form on an international level. A high group EQ might exist at club level, but not at national level, and the player struggles to form part of the group and the vision unless he totally buys into it. The same can happen where players perform poorly at club level but at national level they step-up to a whole new level. Look the All Blacks, South African teams dominated the Super 14 this year, and we all expected the Springboks to dominate the All Blacks... and we all know how that turned out. The All Blacks, through consistency in selection and coaching, the correct structures, and the lure of that jersey have created what I believe must a truly special environment to be a part of. Now just imagine if they could replicate those structures from ground-level up to the senior national team. In fact, let’s rather not, I’d like to get some sleep tonight.
This also applies to the corporate world, where much like rugby and other sports, success depends on tactics and strategy, and importantly a high level of EQ across the board. You might wonder how you can compare sports to business, however in the current professional environment sport IS a business. There are certain strategies in the sports world that work in the corporate world, and vice versa. Imagine SA Rugby created an environment whereby every single employee, from the receptionist to the CEO, from the baggage-handler to the national captain, all bought into the same vision and same sense of efficacy? Imagine if all provincial unions then also bought in this; imagine if they all trusted each other (try not to laugh at this point!)? SA Rugby, our provincial teams, and most importantly the Springboks, would be near untouchable. Now imagine a corporation with talented and ambitious staff did the same thing, I’m sure the result would be the same. Are you starting to see the link?
I know the next question will be, but how on earth would you implement something like this? Well, I’m still working that one out, and will be the subject of my MBA Thesis, which won’t get published on the internet for free I’m afraid! Ya’ll gonna have to cough up
I’m going to try make this blog a more regular thing, and don’t worry it won’t be so academic every time. I’ll start sharing some of my rather alternative views on life, which will piss some of you off and make some of you nod your head in quiet agreement...
Catch you on the flipside...
Darren
Monday, November 15, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Post World Cup - Let's build a legacy
When I started this blog, little did I know that my first two posts would largely be based on soccer, or football as the mud-islanders call it. In truth I’ve been working on a paper regarding how emotional intelligence translates into a group or team (sport or business), and how it can make average Joe’s successful and make the already successful teams into world beaters. But it requires quite a bit of research and reading, something that has not been a priority of mine since the world cup party started! So bear with me… I’ll get there.
In the meantime, I’ve decided to have a little say on what we as South Africans can do after the world cup to somehow assist SAFA in developing the game in our country and turn our clubs and players into true world beaters. Look, I’m not going to pretend I know how to run the game in this country, or any country for that matter. But I can comment on what we as everyday people and soccer fans can do to assist SAFA. The answer is quite simple, support.
Any successful professional team across all sporting codes will tell you that the secret to long term sustainable success is grass roots development. The word sustainable is a very important one, because anyone can put together a team of superstars overnight and be successful in the short term (something we hoped the appointment of Parreira as Bafana coach would do). But to be able to maintain that success and build a legacy requires a massive investment in the youth and the development of players. That means high performance centers and youth academies beginning at a very young age, not just U/19 level. If you don’t believe me, just have a look at Manchester United, or any English premier league club for that matter. Another great example is the Bulls rugby team, as much as I dislike them and their IQ-challenged supporters, you’ve got to hand it to them, they are pretty damn good. But people forget that in 2002 they lost all 11 of their Super 12 league games, making them the worst team in Super rugby history (that is until their brothers south of the Jukskei decided to eclipse that and lose 13 on the trot this year. Well done Lions.) To change the order of things the Bulls focused on a massive junior player development, fast forward a few years, and the Bulls are the undisputed champs of Super Rugby.
Sounds simple enough you might say, but it doesn’t help putting these systems and structure in place and doing it half-heartedly. You need to do it properly, and to do that you need money. And this is where we as fans come in. I’m not talking about donations, I’m talking about support. Think about how much money you’ve spent on kits for overseas teams, match tickets, trip overseas to watch them play… Isn’t it time that we as South Africans started developing our own talent as opposed to overseas talent? Although I realize that in the case of the England team it hasn’t helped! I think everyone agrees that the natural talent in this country is immense, now imagine the heights we could scale if our clubs had the finances of overseas clubs? Granted those finances would have to be managed properly, but that’s a whole other discussion.
A few of my mates and I (and this wasn’t even my idea, so I’m feeling proud!) have decided that in order to do our part, we each have to choose a team in the local PSL, and attend at least one of their games per month. Add to that the merchandise sales, and perhaps we can be the start of something. I’m not even a soccer fan and I’m going to do this, surely people who love the game could the do the same? It makes me sick to think we’ve been lining the pockets of these over paid prima donna nancy boys overseas and have totally ignored our local leagues and players. It’s time that changes, and that change begins with us. Give it a bash. You never know, 8 years from now we could be celebrating a World Cup Final involving Bafana Bafana. With our support, it could happen. Let's start building the legacy...
Catch ya’ll on the flipside…
Dazz
In the meantime, I’ve decided to have a little say on what we as South Africans can do after the world cup to somehow assist SAFA in developing the game in our country and turn our clubs and players into true world beaters. Look, I’m not going to pretend I know how to run the game in this country, or any country for that matter. But I can comment on what we as everyday people and soccer fans can do to assist SAFA. The answer is quite simple, support.
Any successful professional team across all sporting codes will tell you that the secret to long term sustainable success is grass roots development. The word sustainable is a very important one, because anyone can put together a team of superstars overnight and be successful in the short term (something we hoped the appointment of Parreira as Bafana coach would do). But to be able to maintain that success and build a legacy requires a massive investment in the youth and the development of players. That means high performance centers and youth academies beginning at a very young age, not just U/19 level. If you don’t believe me, just have a look at Manchester United, or any English premier league club for that matter. Another great example is the Bulls rugby team, as much as I dislike them and their IQ-challenged supporters, you’ve got to hand it to them, they are pretty damn good. But people forget that in 2002 they lost all 11 of their Super 12 league games, making them the worst team in Super rugby history (that is until their brothers south of the Jukskei decided to eclipse that and lose 13 on the trot this year. Well done Lions.) To change the order of things the Bulls focused on a massive junior player development, fast forward a few years, and the Bulls are the undisputed champs of Super Rugby.
Sounds simple enough you might say, but it doesn’t help putting these systems and structure in place and doing it half-heartedly. You need to do it properly, and to do that you need money. And this is where we as fans come in. I’m not talking about donations, I’m talking about support. Think about how much money you’ve spent on kits for overseas teams, match tickets, trip overseas to watch them play… Isn’t it time that we as South Africans started developing our own talent as opposed to overseas talent? Although I realize that in the case of the England team it hasn’t helped! I think everyone agrees that the natural talent in this country is immense, now imagine the heights we could scale if our clubs had the finances of overseas clubs? Granted those finances would have to be managed properly, but that’s a whole other discussion.
A few of my mates and I (and this wasn’t even my idea, so I’m feeling proud!) have decided that in order to do our part, we each have to choose a team in the local PSL, and attend at least one of their games per month. Add to that the merchandise sales, and perhaps we can be the start of something. I’m not even a soccer fan and I’m going to do this, surely people who love the game could the do the same? It makes me sick to think we’ve been lining the pockets of these over paid prima donna nancy boys overseas and have totally ignored our local leagues and players. It’s time that changes, and that change begins with us. Give it a bash. You never know, 8 years from now we could be celebrating a World Cup Final involving Bafana Bafana. With our support, it could happen. Let's start building the legacy...
Catch ya’ll on the flipside…
Dazz
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Patriotism vs Supporting a Winning Team
So, I've finally decided to do this blog thing. Perhaps it might even keep me out the pubs and out of trouble... no wait, scrap that comment...
In light of the upcoming Soccer World Cup, for my first subject I've decided to touch on something that both infuriates me and gives me great satisfaction. Patriotism. Ah, the mere mention of the word sends images of Mel Gibson in Braveheart and also the Patriot flying through my brain. But this is South Africa, and what does being a patriot mean to us? Does it mean painting the flag on the roof of our 2 ton pick up truck? Does it mean wearing SA flag underwear and letting your country ''support'' you? Does it mean shouting ''R.S.A'' everytime we get a little excited? Oh no wait, it's just the yanks who do that...
For me, a South African's patriotism can be found in the way they support and love, well, anything South African really. South African foods, sports teams, actors, musicians etc. are the biggest beneficaries of our patriotism. Any Saffa who has lived overseas, or even been on an overseas holiday, can agree that coming across a South African store or even a mere piece of biltong can at times evoke emotions not seen since Kate let go of Leo's frozen hand in the Titanic. A sense of national pride is an emotion that cannot be explained, like watching the Boks lift the William Webb Ellis trophy in 1995 and 2007, or watching Graeme Smith and the boys wallop the pompous Wallabies on their own hometrack in 2008... Great memories those ain't it? So why is it then that as soon as race is brought into the equation, a person's patriotism gets split down the middle? Let me ellaborate...
Jabu supports Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana with all his heart and soul, however when it comes to supporting the Springboks, he says he would rather support the NZ All Blacks due to South Africa's tainted past. Dave thinks Jabu is a hypocrite and must stop living in the past and support his country. Dave is right. However, Dave is also a hypocrite. When you ask Dave which soccer team he supports, invariably his answer will be Liverpool/Man U/Chelsea or something of that sort. I ask him why does he not support Chiefs or Pirates or any other local team, and the answer is generally always the same... "I don't watch that crap". When asked which international soccer team he supports the answer is always England or France or whatever, but it's never South Africa. Why? "Because they're useless, there's like one white ou in the team, that's why they so shit. And SAFA is so corrupt, they don't care about the game, only themselves". So basically, Dave is telling me that he is a racist fairweather supporter. A bit controversial considering probably 90% of the people I know have that same view. But fact is fact, yes there are major problems within SAFA, but believe me, whatever goes on there goes on at rugby headquarters. Are there racists within SA Soccer? Sure. Are there racists within SA Rugby? Of course there are. But do we stop supporting the Boks because of this, or if they start losing too often? Hell no!!
So Jabu, get over yourself, it's 2010, support your damn country. Forget the All Blacks. And Dave, come china, support a team you actually have an emotional attachment to. Not some foreign team whose country you probably haven't even visited! I don't care what your heritage might be, you were born and raised as a South African, so whether it's jukskei, tiddlywinks, rugby or soccer, if it's South African, that means it's YOUR team. Let's get behind Bafana Bafana for this world cup, and regardless of how they perform, they'll still be fellow countrymen giving it their all to make us proud, let's give them the respect they deserve.
Oh and before I forget... STORMERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Catch ya'll on the flipside...
Dazz
(For the record, I am not a soccer fan, but if SA plays, I support them first and foremost. My secondary team is Italy. If have to choose a club team, it'll be Kaizer Chiefs. I do not support an overseas based club team. I am quite possibly the biggest rugby fan I know and watch all the rugby I can. I'll hopefully be doing a lot of rugby posts in the future, as well posts on leadership, or any other random academic thing I might be interested in at the time!)
In light of the upcoming Soccer World Cup, for my first subject I've decided to touch on something that both infuriates me and gives me great satisfaction. Patriotism. Ah, the mere mention of the word sends images of Mel Gibson in Braveheart and also the Patriot flying through my brain. But this is South Africa, and what does being a patriot mean to us? Does it mean painting the flag on the roof of our 2 ton pick up truck? Does it mean wearing SA flag underwear and letting your country ''support'' you? Does it mean shouting ''R.S.A'' everytime we get a little excited? Oh no wait, it's just the yanks who do that...
For me, a South African's patriotism can be found in the way they support and love, well, anything South African really. South African foods, sports teams, actors, musicians etc. are the biggest beneficaries of our patriotism. Any Saffa who has lived overseas, or even been on an overseas holiday, can agree that coming across a South African store or even a mere piece of biltong can at times evoke emotions not seen since Kate let go of Leo's frozen hand in the Titanic. A sense of national pride is an emotion that cannot be explained, like watching the Boks lift the William Webb Ellis trophy in 1995 and 2007, or watching Graeme Smith and the boys wallop the pompous Wallabies on their own hometrack in 2008... Great memories those ain't it? So why is it then that as soon as race is brought into the equation, a person's patriotism gets split down the middle? Let me ellaborate...
Jabu supports Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana with all his heart and soul, however when it comes to supporting the Springboks, he says he would rather support the NZ All Blacks due to South Africa's tainted past. Dave thinks Jabu is a hypocrite and must stop living in the past and support his country. Dave is right. However, Dave is also a hypocrite. When you ask Dave which soccer team he supports, invariably his answer will be Liverpool/Man U/Chelsea or something of that sort. I ask him why does he not support Chiefs or Pirates or any other local team, and the answer is generally always the same... "I don't watch that crap". When asked which international soccer team he supports the answer is always England or France or whatever, but it's never South Africa. Why? "Because they're useless, there's like one white ou in the team, that's why they so shit. And SAFA is so corrupt, they don't care about the game, only themselves". So basically, Dave is telling me that he is a racist fairweather supporter. A bit controversial considering probably 90% of the people I know have that same view. But fact is fact, yes there are major problems within SAFA, but believe me, whatever goes on there goes on at rugby headquarters. Are there racists within SA Soccer? Sure. Are there racists within SA Rugby? Of course there are. But do we stop supporting the Boks because of this, or if they start losing too often? Hell no!!
So Jabu, get over yourself, it's 2010, support your damn country. Forget the All Blacks. And Dave, come china, support a team you actually have an emotional attachment to. Not some foreign team whose country you probably haven't even visited! I don't care what your heritage might be, you were born and raised as a South African, so whether it's jukskei, tiddlywinks, rugby or soccer, if it's South African, that means it's YOUR team. Let's get behind Bafana Bafana for this world cup, and regardless of how they perform, they'll still be fellow countrymen giving it their all to make us proud, let's give them the respect they deserve.
Oh and before I forget... STORMERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Catch ya'll on the flipside...
Dazz
(For the record, I am not a soccer fan, but if SA plays, I support them first and foremost. My secondary team is Italy. If have to choose a club team, it'll be Kaizer Chiefs. I do not support an overseas based club team. I am quite possibly the biggest rugby fan I know and watch all the rugby I can. I'll hopefully be doing a lot of rugby posts in the future, as well posts on leadership, or any other random academic thing I might be interested in at the time!)
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