We often overuse the French phrase “esprit de
corps,” which literally means “the common spirit existing in the members of a group.”
Today, it is most commonly used to express a
sense of enthusiasm, solidarity and loyalty for a
shared purpose or goal. It sounds good, but when
companies try to develop this team-unity-type
atmosphere, most fall woefully short simply
because just saying the words won’t make it so.
Virtually every entity that has two or more people
claims that its very foundation is built on team-work. The reality, however, is that teamwork must
be nurtured day in and day out in the way a group
undertakes every meaningful task. This applies
whether the undertaking is building a huge bridge
over a river or running a corner grocery store.
The streets are littered with companies whose
wheels fell off the wagon because everyone in the
company had his or her own agenda, instead of
working together and focusing on the common
cause for the greater good. Many leaders of these
failed companies may have had their own play-book for self-enrichment and gratification. Others
have simply failed to communicate with their team
on how to get from Point A to Point B.
What are the best methods for well-intentioned
leaders who want to build esprit de corps for their
company of thousands or for their work group of
just two or three? The number of participants may
vary, but the techniques in building teamwork are
the same.
First, the leader must set the direction of what is
to be accomplished. Sounds pretty simple, but it’s
amazing how many top executives and even mid-level managers play their cards so close to the vest
that the people who have to do the work don’t have
a clue as to why.
One method of establishing direction and goals is
to make it a multifaceted process broken down
into simple time frames. An effective and easy way
to communicate and measure is to use six months
for initial start-up objectives, a year to 18 months
for intermediate goals, and everything after that
becomes longer term.
Of course, the time frame you use depends on
what has to be accomplished. Firefighters measure
objectives in minutes, while the successful completion of a major highway construction project spans
years. Team members can be motivated when they
can see the finish line, rather than being told that
there is one out there somewhere around the
curve.
Next, get your team members to buy in to why it
is they are doing what you want done. Make sure
that everyone knows how you keep score of wins
and losses, and I strongly suggest that some of the
initial goals be more easily attainable than those
that are longer term.
Once your players know they can win, it will spur
them on and give them the strength to get to the
next step. There is nothing wrong if, as the wins
start piling up more quickly than originally expected, you raise the bar as your team becomes fueled
by the thrill of victory.
As the coach, you need to have daily, weekly or
monthly pep rallies. It is also critical that you identify and then empower team captains who will help
propel the mission and perpetuate the message.
We all know, however, that there are many pitfalls
in building an organization and instilling a sense of
pride and purpose. The biggest destroyer of creating esprit de corps is the indiscriminate use of the
first-person pronouns. It is nearly impossible to
motivate a team to work together if you, as the
leader, continually overuse the words “I,” “me” and
“mine,” instead of “we,” “us” and “ours.”
We have all heard statements from otherwise
very bright people, who almost smugly assert, “I did
this,” or, “my company did that,” instead of employing the royal “we” or “our.” When a leader boasts
about a recent accomplishment by stating, “I am
pleased to announce …” he is sure to deflate the
most zealous team player who will think to himself,
“What am I on this team — chopped liver?”
It has been said many times that it’s amazing how
much people can get done if they don’t worry about
who gets the credit. We have all heard the statement that there is no “I” in team, which rings true
as most successful leaders get the most satisfaction
in knowing they pulled everyone together to go in
the same direction at the same time to accomplish
a shared goal.
There is a big payoff for the leader who knows
how and when to use the correct pronouns, starting with less use of “me” and more emphasis on
“we.”
MICHAEL FEUER co-founded OfficeMax in 1988 with a friend and partner.
Starting with one store during a 16-year span, Feuer, as CEO, grew the company to almost 1,000 stores worldwide, with annual sales approximating $5 billion
before selling this retail giant for almost $1.5 billion in 2003 to Boise Cascade
Corp. Feuer immediately launched another start-up, Max-Ventures, a retail/consumer products venture capital operating and consulting firm headquartered in
suburban Cleveland, Ohio. Feuer serves on a number of corporate and philanthropic boards and is a frequent speaker on business, marketing and building
entrepreneurial enterprises. Reach him with comments at [email protected].
