We’ve all heard and agree with the maxim, “It’s not the best team that wins but the team that plays the best.”
But what about the interplay between happiness and performance? Briefly contemplate these two statements:
• “A happy team is a winning team.”
• “A winning team is a happy team.”
Do you resonate with one statement more than the other?
Now, here’s another “chicken or the egg” question. When it comes to teams, does happiness produce winning, or does winning produce happiness? Does it really matter? Perhaps, team happiness is both a driver and a response.
However, some leaders draw a sharp distinction because of the investment they need to make to enhance effectiveness. Leaders have a choice between fostering happiness and satisfaction first in order to produce more wins, or to focus on winning and use that success to foster more satisfaction and goodwill within the team.
The issue is that satisfaction may or may not prepare a team to succeed on the field, but winning always lifts the spirit and creates optimism within the team. This is why so many top team leaders try to notch an early victory. Especially on new teams.
The power of winning together as a team cannot be overstated for the best leaders. Team success produces confidence and motivates the team to set and achieve even bigger goals. Winning helps teams overcome setbacks and not get bogged down by challenges. Winning creates pride and an identity that makes future success more likely. While individuals probably learn more from losing than winning, when it comes to teams, winning is the learning multiplier.
