Synchronized Teamwork

“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.”  - Henry Ford

This weekend I got to experience teamwork in an arctic sort of way.  My daughter is the captain of her synchronized ice skating team, called Central Park Ice, and this weekend they held an exhibition in front of the frozen-solid, jam-packed Wollman Rink in Central Park.  The team was newly formed this past September and has been working hard over the past few months to operate as a team.  You see, the coach took a bunch of individual figure skaters and is coaching them to work as a team and look like one as they glide across the ice.  This sounds like something we strive for every day in Corporate America: trying to get many individuals to work as a team.

In synchronized ice skating, the points are not scored by footwork alone.  The judges are looking at many moving targets, including heads and arms, which must be precisely in sync.  This is so much like what we deal with at the office. Sure there are plenty of big picture issue to point fingers at (bad economy, political unrest, etc), but the difference between success and failure for a team is really about executing on a well established plan and getting the details right.

“Lot’s of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.”  - Oprah Winfrey

Our girls compete against other seasoned teams from all around the Northeast.  Among several hurdles they have to overcome are the newness of the team, rained- and snowed-out practices at our outdoor rink, and Manhattan-priced ice-time, which leaves them with less practice time than the other teams. So while this year has not been great on paper from a competitive standings perspective, these 14 girls and their coaches are the most optimistic group I have ever seen.  Many people I know might have thrown in the towel by now, but these girls keep going out there and are getting better and better. They are learning from their failures every week.  After a not-so-great placing at their last competition, they added an extra practice and had a judge come to critique their performance.  How often do work groups fall apart and start pointing fingers after failure instead of examining what the team can do better next time?  Let’s learn from this group and work harder and smarter after our failures.

“Teamwork…is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.”  - Andrew Carnegie

After many months of practice and competitions against many seasoned teams, I think this weekend it really clicked. This group of individuals realized that the results of the group are dependent upon each individual’s efforts and that they are only as strong as the weakest link.  They have grown over the past few weeks to really embrace that mantra and raise each other up as individuals, and it shows as a team.

Corporate America can learn something from these young girls about teamwork.  They are out there practicing on dark, cold mornings before school and other times when their friends are going on play dates.  They are working together toward the greater good of the team. 

“Anyone who thinks my story is anywhere near over is sadly mistaken.”  - Donald Trump

Last but not least, I can’t resist mentioning that the team mascot (by default) is Donald Trump. He owns Wollman Rink, so in true form his name and face are everywhere.  The girls are inspired by his attitude that “You’re fired!” if you don’t do it.  So maybe that perspective will rub off on our girls as they go onto college and the rest of their lives. I am fan of Trump’s never-give-up attitude, and it seems that it has definitely rubbed off on our girls.