We were on pins and needles

We were on pins and needles.

It was my daughter Bianca’s 5th-grade championship volleyball game.

It was a see-saw battle of evenly matched teams.

But in the end, her team squeezed out the victory!

The girls were ecstatic—several cried tears of joy.

But when we got home, Bianca wasn’t as excited as I imagined.

I prodded.

There was a disappointment.

She felt she didn’t contribute to the win.

It’s true; Bianca didn’t serve the game-winning point.

Society celebrates the athletes that make these plays.

But a championship isn’t won in the final shot.

Every practice.

Every game.

Every play.

Makes the opportunity for that game-winning shot possible.

Every contribution from everyone advances the team closer.

Any less in any area could lead to a different result.

The same is true in business.

In ours, the business development manager gets credit for the close.

But it’s much more complex.

The strategist identifies the opportunity.

The data team sources the contact data for the opportunity.

The researchers uncover insights about the contacts.

The writers craft the message using the insights.

And finally, the biz dev manager’s persistence closes the contact using the message.

Each member of the team contributes.

Any less in any area could lead to a different result.

Sometimes as leaders, we take too much credit.

We believe it’s our vision.

Our intelligence.

Or our hard work that achieves the accomplishment.

But like Bianca’s volleyball game or my business, there’s much more to it.

The strength of the team is each individual member.

And the strength of each member is the team.