THE DIFFERENCE By Dr. John C. Maxwell

THE DIFFERENCE
By Dr. John C. Maxwell

Football season is barely underway, but it's never too soon to start speculating about which NFL team is going to win the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy next February.

Will the New England Patriots continue their domination of the big game and win their third Super Bowl in a row? Or, come January, will some wildcard team that has received little recognition surge to the front of the pack and surprise everyone with a Super Bowl victory?

In the NFL, you just never know. That's because when it comes to parity, no other professional sport is as equal as pro football. On any given Sunday, any team can beat any other team. And although the Patriots have dominated recently, the fact that eight different teams have played in the last five Super Bowls is another indication that the better teams in the league are on fairly equal footing when it comes to talent.

So what sets one talented team apart from another equally gifted team? In a word, leadership.

All other things being equal, the team with the best leaders will always win. Or, as one of my 17 Laws of Teamwork states, the difference between two equally talented teams is leadership. It's the Law of the Edge, and it's an incredibly powerful concept. Whether the team is made up of professional football players, military personnel or business people, everything rises and falls on leadership.

We've spent the last several issues of Leadership Wired talking about various aspects of teamwork— putting the right players in the right places, what a good team does for a leader, how to transfer a vision to your team, the necessity of a strong set of values, etc. As you reflect on these issues and think about how you can lead your team better, here are some practical suggestions that will help pave your way—and your team's way—to success.

1. Make a decision to build a team. Teams just don't build themselves. If you want to see your dream come to fruition, dedicate yourself to team building. Take care of the team, and it will take care of the dream.

2. Gather the best players possible. The better the players on the team, the greater the team's potential for success. The bigger the dream, the better the team you need. Start well, and the rest of the process is much easier.

3. Pay the price to develop the team. Team building has a price—it costs energy, money and time. And when you build a team, you pay with your life. But if you do, in return you receive a better life.

4. Do things together as a team. Good team leaders know that you touch a heart before you ask for a hand. That's the Law of Connection. And the way you create that connection is by doing things together.

5. Empower team members with responsibility and authority. A team can achieve only when its individual members are vested with responsibility and authority. Responsibility gives them the desire; authority gives them the means. Empowered team members accomplish more and help the team to continually improve.

6. Give credit for success to the team. Too many leaders steal their team's ego food. If you want your team to keep fighting for the dream, remember that nothing motivates a team like recognition. Put the credit where it belongs—with the people who get the job done.

7. Watch to see that the investment in the team is paying off. As a leader, you can never afford to stop investing in your people. Everyone doesn't naturally grow on his or her own. Activity does not always mean accomplishment, however. You need to measure your investment. Be sure that you're doing the right things to help your people. You can do that by paying attention to what's paying off.

8. Stop investing in players who do not grow. It's sad to say, but not every investment in people pays off. When that happens, you must stop giving your best attention to those who aren't growing. Life is short, and for every person who won't—or can't—grow, there is someone else who would love to benefit from what you have to give.

9. Create new opportunities for the team. One of the roles of team members is to help the team succeed. That means finding new opportunities for the team. No matter how long your team has been together or how successful you've been in the past, never let a day go by that you're not looking for ways to help your team keep moving forward.

10. Finally, give the team the best possible chance to succeed. In the end, the team fails or succeeds together, and the best way to serve the individuals on the team is to see that the whole team wins. Do that, and dreams can come true for everyone.