Southwest Texas Fan
07-10-2007, 09:44 AM
Dave Beck: Businesses can learn from Spurs
Web Posted: 07/08/2007 09:09 PM CDT
San Antonio Express-News
Many of you watched last month as San Antonio's hometown heroes quietly made sports history without chest-pounding, flamboyant displays of their celebrity. Even though the national sports media made much of the NBA Finals' low ratings and focused mainly on Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James, the talk turned eventually from the lack of flash and sizzle to whether or not the Spurs had achieved a dynasty.
As Associated Press sports writer Tom Withers put it, the "bland-yet-becoming" San Antonio Spurs base their blueprint on defense, discipline and teamwork, making them "the NBA's current standard of excellence."
Given the attention paid to high-flying superstars like LeBron, Kobe, Shaq and a handful of other players who are recognizable by their first names, teamwork is not an obvious headline-making strategy.
It is, however, an important element not only in basketball but also in business. In a society obsessed with high-profile personalities and individual genius, we tend to overlook how many organizations seem to breed greatness when they work together selflessly as a seamless collaboration.
"Team is everything," said Larry Mills, executive vice president of Holt Development Services, a company that specializes in helping businesses with organizational and leadership development. "I know that sounds simplistic, but it's all about team and caring. When people know you care for them, they'll go to the end of the world for you."
Teamwork can extend beyond the team or company itself. Toyota, which recently passed General Motors in worldwide sales, has a business model called the Toyota Way that focuses on respect for people, including teamwork with suppliers, according to a recent BusinessWeek article.
If you ever questioned the Spurs' commitment to teamwork, consider Manu Ginobili. When Spurs coach Gregg Popovich moved him to the bench halfway through the season, Ginobili said he "took it very lightly" instead of whining about the move from the starting five.
"I'm fortunate in that Manu is the kind of guy that obviously cares more about the team," Popovich said in a June 9 article in the Sporting News. Can you picture the reaction of some of the best-known players from other teams to being moved to the bench?
While they might not waste time comparing personal stats, Spurs' players individually represent some of the NBA's brightest talent. Their collective genius is a tribute to smart scouting and the business savvy of the team that doesn't play on the floor — management.
The Spurs have built a reputation for finding and cultivating talent that other teams overlooked. Although Tony Parker, Bruce Bowen and Ginobili were available to nearly every team in the league, it was the Spurs recruiting staff who recognized their abilities to fit in with the team structure.
That reminds me of something Jim Collins noted in his best-seller "Good to Great." The adage "People are your most important asset" is wrong. It's actually the right people who are your most important asset.
While having the right people is key to your company's success, having a leader who understands the importance of building a team is a critical element in following the path to greatness.
According to Mills, "Everything Pop does relates to team performance. Tim Duncan has the same expectations as everybody else on the team. There are no privileges. Team is everything."
So is the importance of teamwork in your business. Just working alongside smart people can produce good results. As a unified team with a common goal, you can do so much more. Once you find the right combination of talent and leadership, you'll see individual genius come to life as you collectively reach new heights. As Michael Jordan so aptly put it, "Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships."
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[email protected]; Dave Beck is president, chief business banking officer at Frost Bank.
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Online at: http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/columnists/dbeck/stories/MYSA070907.02R.DaveBeck.2ecf813.html
Web Posted: 07/08/2007 09:09 PM CDT
San Antonio Express-News
Many of you watched last month as San Antonio's hometown heroes quietly made sports history without chest-pounding, flamboyant displays of their celebrity. Even though the national sports media made much of the NBA Finals' low ratings and focused mainly on Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James, the talk turned eventually from the lack of flash and sizzle to whether or not the Spurs had achieved a dynasty.
As Associated Press sports writer Tom Withers put it, the "bland-yet-becoming" San Antonio Spurs base their blueprint on defense, discipline and teamwork, making them "the NBA's current standard of excellence."
Given the attention paid to high-flying superstars like LeBron, Kobe, Shaq and a handful of other players who are recognizable by their first names, teamwork is not an obvious headline-making strategy.
It is, however, an important element not only in basketball but also in business. In a society obsessed with high-profile personalities and individual genius, we tend to overlook how many organizations seem to breed greatness when they work together selflessly as a seamless collaboration.
"Team is everything," said Larry Mills, executive vice president of Holt Development Services, a company that specializes in helping businesses with organizational and leadership development. "I know that sounds simplistic, but it's all about team and caring. When people know you care for them, they'll go to the end of the world for you."
Teamwork can extend beyond the team or company itself. Toyota, which recently passed General Motors in worldwide sales, has a business model called the Toyota Way that focuses on respect for people, including teamwork with suppliers, according to a recent BusinessWeek article.
If you ever questioned the Spurs' commitment to teamwork, consider Manu Ginobili. When Spurs coach Gregg Popovich moved him to the bench halfway through the season, Ginobili said he "took it very lightly" instead of whining about the move from the starting five.
"I'm fortunate in that Manu is the kind of guy that obviously cares more about the team," Popovich said in a June 9 article in the Sporting News. Can you picture the reaction of some of the best-known players from other teams to being moved to the bench?
While they might not waste time comparing personal stats, Spurs' players individually represent some of the NBA's brightest talent. Their collective genius is a tribute to smart scouting and the business savvy of the team that doesn't play on the floor — management.
The Spurs have built a reputation for finding and cultivating talent that other teams overlooked. Although Tony Parker, Bruce Bowen and Ginobili were available to nearly every team in the league, it was the Spurs recruiting staff who recognized their abilities to fit in with the team structure.
That reminds me of something Jim Collins noted in his best-seller "Good to Great." The adage "People are your most important asset" is wrong. It's actually the right people who are your most important asset.
While having the right people is key to your company's success, having a leader who understands the importance of building a team is a critical element in following the path to greatness.
According to Mills, "Everything Pop does relates to team performance. Tim Duncan has the same expectations as everybody else on the team. There are no privileges. Team is everything."
So is the importance of teamwork in your business. Just working alongside smart people can produce good results. As a unified team with a common goal, you can do so much more. Once you find the right combination of talent and leadership, you'll see individual genius come to life as you collectively reach new heights. As Michael Jordan so aptly put it, "Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[email protected]; Dave Beck is president, chief business banking officer at Frost Bank.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Online at: http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/columnists/dbeck/stories/MYSA070907.02R.DaveBeck.2ecf813.html