Craig McCaw's essay on Teamwork.

[scsmith42]

For those that are not familiar with him, Craig McCaw is widely acknowledged to be the "visionary" behind the wireless communication business in the US. 

Mr. McCaw is pretty much universally respected by those that have worked for him or in his companies.  I am told that he is not a rigid "top down" manager, but rather the type of person that tries to hire the best people that he can, help them understand the goals and objectives of the business, and then get out of their way and let them do a great job.

A number of years ago he felt compelled to share his thoughts about teamwork with his organization (McCaw Cellular), and so he wrote a short essay about it.  Mr. McCaw is dyslexic, and writing is very difficult for him; a friend of mine who worked for him at the time told me that McCaw really struggled with the essay, as he really felt strongly about the topic and wanted to accurately convey his thoughts.

I am including the essay below in it's entierity.  I have found it to be very insightful and thought provoking, as it delves into many dimensions of teamwork and relationships between people, and I find it helps me to better understand myself and my motivations, as well as those of others.  When I think of the degree of teamwork that Craig is trying to convey, I think of those teams or organizations that have transcended simply "meeting expectations" or "doing a satisfactory job", but have gone on to achieve outstanding results and truly achieve their potential as individuals as well as an organization.  Sometimes that means that a truly gifted individual focuses a little less on always being the star, and more on helping their teammates achieve their ultimate potential and become stars in their own rights.

I also find it applicable in my dealings with others, as the same motivations that can impact one's behavior in a team environment can also impact their dealings one on one with others.

There is a lot of depth to Craig's essay, and in many different dimensions.

Regards,  Scott


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   "Great accomplishments are usually the work of a small, highly focused team with a clear goal in mind.  A team is a group of people who have agreed to channel themselves together in a common direction toward a goal with a dedication that transcends their personal wishes.  Any student of human behavior knows that we are all different, have conflicting needs, and with proximity, find it difficult not to notice offending traits in our fellow man.

   Why is it so hard to get a real team?  Why does a team, when successful, so often degenerate into bickering, clawing for credit and selfish behavior?  It is, unfortunately, our own insecurity that prevents us from bringing the best out in each other.  Great teams are built by great people who are secure enough with themselves to join with other great people, and to share the opportunity for success in the most humble manner.  Therefore, the first and most important step in building a team is to agree upon certain principles of behavior which will prevail.  The second step is to agree upon common objectives.  We must acknowledge that we wish to submerge our personal whims for the good of the team in accomplishing its goal.  Unless and until a team has been forged through the channeling of energy into a common cause (through submission of our fragile egos), there can be no team; merely a crowd.

   Teamwork fades fast when one of the team members decides that he or she deserves the lion's share of the credit; his or her pandering for glory soon makes other insecure, turning the team into a selfish rabble.  This behavior must be avoided at all costs; (we are all vulnerable to the dark side of our psyche).  The true test of leadership is the ability to keep these forces within us at bay.  The true test of a team member is his or her ability to draw personal success from the team's success.  We all learn soon enough that in a good team, any one member is expendable if the team has been properly built by its leaders.  The real test of management is to build teams that are deep, not shallow—shallow teams build the "messiah complex" in their best person or people.  The cruelest fate for any of us is to have those around us be worshipped not [as] peers, for they mislead us that we are greater than our own abilities.  Awareness of our own shortcomings should come gradually, everyday, not all at once in a big jolt.

   No endeavor is as pointless as the attempt to accomplish meaningful work with people whose selfish goals constantly transcend those of the would-be team.  In this context, lots of rules will be created, but they cannot take the place of the need for an overriding set of common goals.  We all crave the sense of common purpose, the camaraderie and the pride that accompanies a cohesive effort.  You can feel an extraordinary power when people focus together on getting something done.  It is far too common, however, that the leaders feel the power of directing others with the false pride that accompanies shallow power over other people.  Please remember what teamwork is, a group pulling together, focused on a common direction, working at the peak  of their ability for the good of the whole.  Sure it's hard, but when a team clicks, it's something to behold!"
      
                           Craig McCaw


O.Casey Corr, "Money From Thin Air": June 2000 pp. 168-169

[Nova]

Good words Scott espousing values that seem to be less and less common in people who are more and more centered in advancing their own interests first.  John Maxwell is a leadership author who states, if memory serves me, the 80/20 or Pareto Principle - that you will spend 80% of your time on 20% of your people (usually these are the less to non-productive ones) and get 80% of your production from 20% of your people.  He suggests realigning who you spend your time on and let the less-productive ones go (if they are not teachable) and concentrate on the 20% to maximize their work output as well as rewarding them appropriately or the risk is that they will become resentful and move on to greener pastures.  When you find a good one, do everything you can to keep them (as long as they don't become like the 'Messiah' McCaw describes).  When I was in management I said I would prefer to have an average but teachable worker anyday over the talented prima dona.  The latter tend to be insecure overachievers who are very high maintenance >:(.  Been there, done that as a boss...no fun.