Please join me for a fun series. My mission, and I’ve chosen to accept it, is to write a post based on each letter of the alphabet. The English major inside of me is very excited about this project…and my inner nerd is even more fired up! Keep checking back as I tackle the intangibles of sport…from A to Z.
I’m a marketers dream. I remember all commercial jingles and regularly sing along when they come on television or the radio. My husband laughs at me because I can recite them whether the song is for the local assisted-living home (“Peterson Meadows…make a better tomorrow, today”) or a cola commercial from back in the ‘70s.
When I first came up with the idea of “harmony” on teams, I thought about that Coke commercial (“I’d like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony”) with people of all sorts of ethnic and racial backgrounds. If you don’t remember it, click here.* The commercial shows musical harmony…but what does harmony on a team look like?
What is harmony?
Agreement in feeling or opinion;
A consistent, orderly, or pleasing arrangement of parts;
A pleasing combination of elements in a whole.
So often, when we think of harmony, we think of getting along. But it’s much more than that. I love the last definition the best. If I could describe my team as “a pleasing combination of elements in a whole”, I’d be pretty fired up!
What will harmony look like on a team?
On the court, players will know their roles. The stud won’t shrink under pressure and the supporting cast won’t try to be the stars of the show. Over the course of the season, we all (coaches and players alike) learn how our puzzle will fit together. Reserve players understand that they are valued by the starters and the starters accept the burden of always representing the team…good, bad, or ugly. The coaches learn how each player is motivated: who to yell at and who to put an arm around. It’s not that there is never a disagreement on the team, but a harmonious team will know what is and is not fair game for disagreement.
How does harmony affect the team?
Obviously, I think that harmony has a positive effect on teams. I think that harmony assumes we have a common goal and that each player and coach will do whatever it takes to propel the team in the direction of our goals. Harmony is self-sacrificing. I like that first definition from above which states that harmony is an agreement. Everyone has to hold up their end of the bargain for harmony on teams.
So harmony isn’t something we can’t put our brains around. In fact, I’d say that harmony (arranging parts together as a whole in a pleasing manner) is a must for successful teams.
*By the way, I wasn’t actually alive when this commercial came out. Just sayin’.
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