What Does It Take to Build a World-Class Team?
Randy Wolken, President & CEO

The most decorated coaches, athletic directors, and administrators all follow a few core principles to set uncompromising standards and build elite organizations. How can business leaders do the same?

McKinsey Research set out to answer that and other questions by turning to what some business leaders might consider an unconventional source. During their study they connected with more than 25 of the most ambitious and successful administrators, trainers, coaches, and athletes at professional and Division 1 athletic programs across the U.S.; what they discovered is fascinating.

Building any team is hard work. Building a successful team is even harder. An organization must manage the right mix of talent, culture, and performance expectations. However, most organizations find themselves lacking in one area or another. Consider the following cautionary tales: one team of “superstars” in an organization fails to gel simply because they cannot agree on working norms while a different high-performing group underachieved because the executive team and line managers had conflicting views of their roles.

What does it take to avoid these traps? What differentiates the teams operating at a high level from those lagging behind? What skills, mindsets, and behaviors do high-performing teams have that others lack? Most importantly, how do they sustain their collective focus over time, even when the work is hard?

Despite numerous challenges, many of the sports leaders McKinsey spoke with seemed to have found a winning formula for building and, when necessary, reinventing their teams. Four themes emerged from their interviews that underscore how these leaders significantly changed the trajectory of their programs:

• Set a new standard for the program that establishes the team’s objectives. These leaders strongly emphasized creating a culture everyone buys into, where each teammate “walks the talk” daily, even when no one is watching.
• Build a team with a diverse set of leadership skills and functional capabilities. Successful sports leaders aren’t simply looking for the best performers, but the right players who will help them win. This is true for companies as well, it’s not always about skill, fit must also be a factor.
• Create a playbook for optimizing team performance. These sports leaders clearly and purposefully codify how the work gets done and emphasize consistency in operations—from day-to-day routines (in the weight room and on the playing field) to annual planning cycles. Companies, too, need a playbook for optimal performance.
• Establish an edge and a level of confidence that sets the team apart. These leaders explore every possible angle to elevate the confidence and skills of everyone in the program—from the athletes and the coaching staff to the strength and conditioning team to the nutritionists to the groundskeepers. As Brian Wright, the General Manager (GM) of the San Antonio Spurs, told McKinsey, “Everyone on the team has a critical role to play in ensuring the success of the group. We win by engaging everyone, not just our star players.” For business leaders, it’s crucial to determine your company’s “edge” that sets you apart from the competition.

In its report, McKinsey explores these four themes and suggests ways corporate leaders can incorporate sport teams’ best practices in team building into their own organizations. There are enough similarities between the success of sports teams and businesses to suggest that these four principles can help leaders build successful teams, turn around low performers, and ultimately create more value for the long term.

The college sports season is about to begin. Many of you will be tuning in to your favorite teams. As you do, notice what makes a winning team and how you can emulate those key practices within your team environment. In doing so, you can help build a world-class organization.