Coordination-First Mentality
One of the hidden keys of team success
In a world that often emphasizes individual performance, one of the most overlooked elements of team success is coordination. Just like in sports, where a well-timed pass is often more important than individual brilliance, team coordination is the silent driver behind collective success. When teams move as a unit, they become unstoppable, but when coordination breaks down, even the most talented individuals can fail.
So, how can leaders and teams adopt a "coordination-first mentality"? Here’s a systemic perspective on how to foster this mindset and drive success as a true team.
Redefining Success: Beyond Individual Performance
Success isn’t about how well each person on the team performs independently; it’s about how their work moves through the team and helps others advance. Think of it like this: It’s not enough to do a great job on your task. What really matters is what others can do with the results of your work. Are you passing the "ball" effectively to the next person in the chain?
A team member who is blocked because colleagues aren’t responding to emails, or a task that remains untouched on someone’s desk for weeks, are not signs of poor individual performance—they’re signs of poor coordination. Leaders need to see these moments as opportunities to improve how the team functions as a whole, not just focus on individual accomplishments.
Coordination Is Communication
At its heart, coordination is about communication. Teams need to constantly adjust and sync up with one another, just like organs in a body communicating to ensure the whole system functions properly. Here are some key habits that can transform coordination:
Announce Completion: The moment you finish a task, let others know. This simple action signals that the "ball" is ready to be passed. It helps others understand that it’s their turn to make a move, preventing bottlenecks and ensuring momentum.
Announce Blockages Early: Instead of trying to solve problems alone, let the team know as soon as you hit a roadblock. This is where leadership plays a crucial role. The leader's job is to unblock the team and create agility by removing obstacles. A team’s speed is determined by how quickly it can overcome these hurdles, and the leader is the one best equipped to facilitate this.
Regular Review Meetings: Borrowing from scrum methodology, hold regular review meetings where you assess not only what was done but how well the team coordinated. Reflecting on where communication or handoffs could have been smoother helps teams continuously improve. From these discussions, take one small action to enhance coordination in the next phase.
Thinking Systemically: The Team as an Organism
The true breakthrough for leaders is in seeing the team not as a sum of individuals but as a cohesive organism. Just like organs in the body, each team member has a role, but the real success comes when they work together. A leader who only looks at individual performance metrics misses the point—it's how the team moves as a whole that counts.
A great example of this can be seen in how meetings are conducted. If each person in the room talks only from their own perspective and the information doesn’t move across the team, you don’t have a team—you have a group of advisors to the leader. For real teamwork, there needs to be constant cross-communication, where everyone takes information from others and acts on it.
Conclusion: A Collective Focus for Collective Success
The "coordination-first mentality" is about shifting focus from individual excellence to collective flow. Leaders must redefine success by prioritizing how well their teams move together, not just how well each person does their job. By promoting continuous communication, removing obstacles quickly, and reflecting on how the team coordinates, you can unlock a new level of efficiency and success.
Because at the end of the day, a group of individuals can never win a game—but a well-coordinated team can.
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” African Proverb