The 15 Hallmarks of Great Teams

All great teams, besides talent, have a core set of dogmas that enhance their talent and bond their team.

August 21, 2023

Everyone loves learning what qualities a championship leader possesses.

We search for clues on what makes them special and how they achieve a consistently high level of performance.

All great leaders have similar core leadership qualities. Their style, messaging, and approach will be vastly different from one to another, yet their foundational principles are closely united. The same can be said about all great teams. All great teams, besides talent, have a core set of dogmas that enhance their talent and bond their team.

Great teams don’t have standards only for the players. Great teams hold everyone to the same principles. Championship teams behave as one—

Great teams always:

1. EVERYONE EMBRACES COACHING. The organization understands the difference between coaching and criticism.

2. EACH PLAYER AND STAFF UNDERSTANDS HIS/HER ROLE. Everyone accepts and honors their position on the team.

3. SEARCH FOR IMPROVEMENT, ASKING: HOW CAN I GET BETTER? Insatiable drive to improve at their craft.

4. DISPLAY MENTAL TOUGHNESS. Doing what is always right for the team.

5. PLAY WITH PHYSICAL TOUGHNESS. Shows a great desire to do whatever it takes to work through adversity.

6. ALWAYS PUTS THE TEAM FIRST. Understands “WE” is better than “I.”

7. NO ONE EVER SAYS, “MY BAD.” “My Bads” are the easy way for someone to pretend they accepted responsibility but haven’t. They are shallow words.

8. LOVES ACCOUNTABILITY. For the team to improve, being accountable starts from the top down.

9. IGNORE THE NOISE. The team never hears outside voices or pays attention to anyone other than the team.

10. NO ONE IS BIGGER THAN THE PROGRAM. Ego’s are not allowed in the room—not one person, from the janitor to the star, is bigger than the program.

11. UNDERSTAND WHAT IS HARD WORK. Great teams understand how to work hard and never waste time on the unnecessary.

12. HAVE COMPETITIVE STAMINA. The most important achievement is still to be gained. Never satisfied.

13. CAN HANDLE VOLUME DAY AFTER DAY. Every day the workload never bothers or deters their progress.

14. THE SCOREBOARD DOESN’T MATTER. Measure themselves to the standard, not the score.

15. BELIEVE IN SYSTEMS OVER GOALS. To achieve sustainable success, taking a systematic approach is the only path.

When a team adheres to these 15 principles, it rises above its talent level and becomes unstoppable.

No team ever won a championship with talent — they win because they use their talents collectively for the team's good.

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