"Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results."--Andrew Carnegie

Last year, the San Francisco Giants won the 2010 World Series. But for all of the excitement, headlines, rhetoric, and hype that accompany such an event, the story line that stuck with me – and which the announcers and commentators remarked on continuously – was how the core lineup of the team had changed from the beginning of the season to the final playoff game. While sports analogies can be cliché and tiresome, sometimes they just fit. And like it or not, we can all learn something about ourselves as individuals and as part of a team, and even how to manage a team:

• Stats/assessments: Watch any sporting event and you’ll be dazzled (and probably overwhelmed) by statistics mentioned by the commentators and shown on screen. The mountains of data aren’t limited to batting average and a pitcher’s ball-to-strike ratio, but also how players perform on grass vs. turf and in day vs. night games; how batters perform against left- or right-handed pitchers; and my personal favorite, whether a pitcher is likely to throw pitches that batters hit on the ground or in the air.

  These numbers aren’t just for show; managers make decisions based on these statistics, which are compiled each day of every season. Imagine if business managers knew their employees as well as coaches know professional athletes. Assessing your employees and teams as a baseline and then over a period time can provide tremendous insight and help managers make more informed decisions about whom to “play” in which position on your team.

• Managing the team: Any sporting season begins with the starting lineup – the players a coach feels give the team the best chance to win. But throughout the course of the game and the season, pinch hitters are substituted; middle-inning relief pitchers are specialists who are often brought in the game to face just one batter; and sometimes the stars need a rest. In extreme cases, injuries or lack of performance dictate player moves.

  How do you manage your teams? How did you choose which employees to fill which team roles? Are you only using your star performers, or are you giving younger, less experienced staff a chance to learn and develop? How often to you revisit the makeup of the team, its performance, and goals?

• Volatile players: Prima donnas exist in every group, and they really stand out in professional sports. These are the star players with loads of talent, yet quickly fall from grace, are often traded, and sometimes just fired from the team because they’re not team players. Think of baseball’s Manny Ramirez, football’s Randy Moss, and basketball’s Allen Iverson.

  Don’t assume that the best people are the right people for your team. They might be superior individual performers who regularly meet and exceed their own personal targets, but do they help or drain the team? Of course this needs to be handled delicately in a business context, but sometimes you need to cut your best performer from the team and let someone better-suited fill the role.

• Inspirational coaching: Most fans know that a manager is allowed two trips to the pitcher’s mound during a game, and it usually results in replacing the pitcher with another from the bullpen. One of the most dramatic scenes from the playoffs occurred when Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel visited ace pitcher Roy Halladay on the mound late in one game. Halladay had done well but appeared fatigued and inconsistent. The coach slowly walked to the mound, talked to his ace, and then surprised everyone by walking back to the dugout. In that moment the home team fans roared their approval, a reenergized pitcher finished the job, and the coach looked brilliant.

  Leading a team isn’t just about criticism and reactive feedback. The best leaders inspire everyone, from the star players to the journeyman bench players to the rookies who represent your future. Some managers excel at giving praise and avoid the discomfort of criticism, while for others, it’s the reverse. Giving both positive and negative feedback on a regular basis results in trusting relationships between coaches and players and the best opportunity for success.

by Bud Haney, President, Profiles International