Build a Winning Organization

“It wasn’t the shot that captivated me, however.  It was the pass from Michael that led to the pass from Scottie that led to the pass from Horace that led to the shot.  That sequence of passes would never have happened if we hadn’t spent all those months and years not only mastering all of Tex’s drills but also developing the kind of group intelligence needed for a team to perform as one.  That night the triangle was a thing of beauty(Jackson, p.131).”  So stated Phil Jackson referring to the Chicago Bulls winning their third NBA championship in a row in 1993.  Every business owner can take away three crucial lessons from this statement by Jackson in building a winning organization.

• Everyone’s Role is Crucial– There are no unimportant jobs in a winning company. It is true there are outstanding performers that have many talents with more visible roles such as the role Michael Jordan had for the Bulls,  but outstanding performers need the assistance and support of others to enable them to unleash their talent and become as effective as possible.
• A Process Exists that Works– Notice Jackson referred to “the Triangle”. It was a system of running an offense that had been taught to him by a colleague who had used it successfully at the college level.  This particular system was exactly the system the Bulls needed to align their team and achieve their goals.  If a company is going to achieve at a high level, there must be a system in place that aligns everyone in the organization as they work within it to achieve the business’s goals.
• Time and Training is Invested Mastering the Process– It is not enough to have the right people and process if the people are not working the process. The man who helped Jackson implement the Triangle, Tex Winter,  “developed a whole series of drills to teach players how to execute fundamentals.  As far as Tex was concerned, the genius was in the details, and it didn’t matter whether you were Michael Jordan or the lowest rookie on the team; Tex would badger you until you got it right(Jackson, p.70).”  Jackson said, “it turned the whole team into a learning organization(Jackson, p.71).”

In building your winning organization remember each individual role is important, choose a successful process, and take time for training to ensure mastery.

* Jackson, Phil, Delehanty, Hugh, (2013,2014) Eleven Rings