Playing the piano is generally done on an individual basis with the occasional duet.  When I was 14 years old, I had the opportunity to learn a lot about teamwork from a piano playing experience.  I was invited to play in Pianorama, a concert put on in Nashville where piano players are invited and to perform and divided into groups based on their level of skill.  I happened to be put in the advanced group with 23 other participants.  We were then paired with another individual who we would play a duet with while sitting at the same piano.  In my group, there were twelve pairs playing the duet on twelve pianos simultaneously.  At one point, the duet splits into two parts, becoming a duet with six pianos (twelve participants) playing one part and six pianos (twelve participants) playing the other part.

When I look back at everything that had to come together for that concert to be a success, there is a lot that can be learned about teamwork.  We all came from different parts of the state and had different piano playing styles.  Because we came from all over the state, we could only practice together once a week for six weeks.  We did a lot of work as individuals to learn our parts and then as we met as a group put it all together.  We had to rely on and trust not only our partners to learn their parts, but everyone in the group.  In the end, we had the chance to play in front of 5,000 people and our performance was a huge success.

Here at CMOE we define teamwork as a group of people who:

• Combine their energy and efforts to achieve common goals.

• Are committed to achieving the team’s goals.

• Fulfill their roles and responsibilities.

• Have defined processes, procedures, and mechanisms that enable them to function at peak performance.

With Pianorama, our goal was defined and each of us knew exactly what we individually needed to do in order to accomplish the goal.  The more specific the goal and the assignments at the individual level are, the better the chance that everything will come together in the end.  As we become members of different teams, we need to understand that everyone will have different skills and personalities and that in order to work together as a team, we must learn how to capitalize on those differences.
After all the individual preparation was one and we put all the pieces together, the end result was a beautiful, harmonious song.  No one stood out any more than anyone else.  Cohesive teamwork occurs when each person recognizes that individual recognition and achievement is less rewarding than achieving the team’s overall goal.

The bottom line is, good teamwork makes beautiful music.

Goals, Results, and Leadership

This experience reminded me of a person trying to achieve a goal, but needing some leadership and direction to navigate through obstacles and complications in order to accomplish the goal. A well set goal is a stretch and challenge for the person. In addition to that, most people have to change the way they originally envisioned accomplishing the goal. An even bigger issue, in many organizations, begins before that. Most employees don’t know or don’t fully understand where they want to end up. It is common that individuals don’t know how to create bottom line results or how to play the competitive game of work. In reference to my personal example, managers and leaders can often become the roadblock to goals for two reasons.

First, they fail to help their employees know how to “win” at their job and set the right goals.
Second, they fail to communicate clear expectations or help employees achieve success.

For organizations to play the game of work more effectively, and have better bottom line results, leaders must coach and develop team members to establish stretch goals, then give regular feedback, and finally correct and guide when success is not attained and celebrated when it is.

Being a better leader means helping others get what they need to be the best employee they can be. As leaders, provide resources, share your experiences, and coach for performance improvement whenever you can. Daily is a best practice. Dust off your Leader Development material and help people establish goals and then be sure you are not like the conference center maintenance crew who blocks the entire hallway making the journey to goals harder than they need to be. Creating a game of work mentality in your teams and businesses will help people achieve world class results.

Goals
Research on goal setting indicates that teams who set goals can obtain 20 – 25% improved work performance.  With some direction, coaching and accountability measures, you and those you lead will reach unbelievable heights.  The next time you have the opportunity to lead others in setting goals, use the SMART Goal principle (Specific, Measurable, Aligned, Realistic, and Time Bound) to ensure the goal is worded in a way to maximize power and effectiveness.

Results
Personal accountability to results will make a significant difference in the organization’s performance. But how does a leader instill accountability or keep score?  Metrics and measurements is the answer.  These tracking tools are a vital part of a results focused culture. Leaders must encourage their reports to ask themselves “What are the two most important results for which I am paid?” Instill that if they produce those results, they and the business win, but if not, they and the business lose.  Metrics and measurements often require innovation and “thinking outside of the box.”  The main guideline is to create a tool that defines responsibility and establishes accountability.

Driving Bottom Line Results
Being a better leader means helping others be the best employee they can be.  In addition to goals and results, this applies to all realms of performance.  As a leader, it is vital to share your experiences, provide resources, and coach for performance improvement whenever you can.  Creating a “game of work” mentality in your teams and businesses will help people achieve world class results.