I get to work with some amazing teams, but this spring, serendipity handed me a seat on a flight beside the Canadian Olympic synchronized swimming team members. They take teamwork to a whole different level.
I asked them what you and I should know about being a high-performance team. They told me that when you’re upside down, underwater, and without oxygen for four minutes, you need communication, alignment, and trust. Funny, these are the exact same things teams in organizations need to be great.
Start with Communication
They made it clear to me that issues must be addressed as a team and nothing left to fester as gossip. They are in the pool for 45 hours per week, so there’s no time to waste beating around the bush. If there’s an issue, they get it on the table so that they can move on.
This is certainly not the case with most teams in business, where passive-aggressive behavior is commonplace.
Alignment is Critical
Alignment is tested in the pool, where it’s a game of millimeters in precision. Not only do they have to know exactly how high each leg is out of the water, but they also know how to create complete synchronization in competition as adrenaline changes the entire feel.
“We practice for that. We practice what it will feel like with the adrenaline pumping.”
Knowing how you fit into the whole and staying in formation under stress means the team performs well. Our High-performance Teams method helps teams practice for these stressful situations so they will be able to handle stress when it comes.
Trust Underlies High-performance
Next, they turned the conversation to trust. Underlying it all is profound trust in one another. The team has been training together for four years. They describe themselves as sisters.
That trust is critical because of their interdependence in the routines. Each girl needs to execute her piece without worrying that her teammate will be exactly where she should be.
One of the roles on the team is called the “flyer.” Canada’s flyer is Stéphanie Durocher. Stéphanie is launched into the air by teammate Valérie Welsh. They described the trust between them…that Valérie will get the “throw” right and that Stéphanie will execute the flips and land back in the water in the exact right spot. They literally put their safety in each others’ hands. Minuscule margins separate perfection from a collision and injury. That takes a high degree of trust.
Improving Your Team Effectiveness
In some cases, teams in organizations are responsible for their teammates’ physical safety. But even if you aren’t ensuring their physical safety, you are certainly responsible for their psychological safety. Are you making your teammates feel completely confident that you “have their backs?”
These athletes, these teammates, were amazing to talk to. Watching them in London was such a thrill. They performed spectacularly and earned fourth place against intensive competition.
What would your team be able to execute if you had this degree of alignment and trust? What if you knew your teammate would do exactly what you’re counting on them to do? How much better would you be able to do your job?
Further Reading
The 1 Thing you can do to Improve Communication Today
5 Practices that Bolster Trust on your Team
Video: How to Be a Good Team Player
An interesting article that raises many good points Liane. Reflecting on this post and “The You in Team,” another way of looking at this would be “How much better would your teammates be able to do their job if they knew they could count on you?”
Great read! While I may never train to hold my breath that long, I can commit to working on trust and communications with my teams!
Great read! While I may never train to hold my breath that long, I can commit to work on trust and communications with my teams!
Trust is a word that often gets thrown around without much consideration for what it really means. It is one thing to ‘trust’ someone to complete a task and whole other league to trust someone not to drown you. Can’t underestimate what can be accomplished when true trust (as you describe) exists among a group of people.
Sometimes people think that olympic team references are not applicable to daily work life because the common goal is so strong on olympic teams-everyone wants the gold. The office version akin to being flown in the air and potentially crashing, is being ‘thrown under the bus’. Many people can identify with that. Imagine how strong business results could be if the same level of alignment and trust could be achieved in the office cubicles as in the pool or arena.
Hi Tammy, I agree. We can too easily brush off examples from elite teams as not applicable to daily life on work teams. But when I ask people whether they have their teammates’ backs…or feel that their teammates have theirs, the room tends to fall silent. How productive we would all be if we could trust, just KNOW that our teammates will be there for us? That’s what the women of the Canadian Olympic synchro team have worked for.
A good team includes a great coach that is able to assess and effectively coach. This builds trust in the team at all levels – it is amazing what can be accomplishd in a high trust environment.
I AGREE WITH THEIR VIEW ON COMMUNICATION. IF YOU HAVE ISSUES GET THEM OUT ON THE TABLE &
SORT IT OUT & MOVE ON. LITTLE NAGGING ISSUES CAN SLOW DOWN YOUR TEAMS FORWARD PROGRESS.