Who are the greatest teammates of all time?
And why is it essential for us to find our long-term teammates?
This summer, Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird won their fifth Olympic gold medal together as part of the US Women’s Basketball Team, which led the US Women to have seven consecutive gold medals. Due to their successes on the court, UConn’s Women’s Team head coach, Geno Auriemma, said Diana and Sue are two of the most incredible teammates in sports history.
No One Ever Accomplishes Anything Great Alone
The duo’s accomplishments extend beyond the Olympics, from UConn championships to playing overseas, holding the record for all-time leading score (Taurasi) and all-time assist leader (Bird).
While having played together for over twenty years, there have been many years of consistency between these two legends, which is why they just breezed through their fifth consecutive gold medal this year, at ages 39 and 41.
Able to implement what Taurasi and Bird always learned has worked its best in basketball. Especially with new teammates over and over again. As leaders, they know exactly what to do and how to do it. They know exactly how they play and where they’re going to be on the floor.
Building Your Team
Think about this for your business.
If you have longevity within your business – not switching companies or teammates or teams every single couple of years – if you had long-standing relationships on your team, how much easier would that be for you?
How much easier would it be for you to get things done?
Now, this doesn’t mean you won’t have disagreements or differing opinions from your teammates – even Diana and Sue have had a few – but you are willing to commit to greatness together. Ultimately, when you find a specific Olympian that you can connect with regarding business and vision, you’ll want to be around them and work towards your goals together.
But if you switch every two or three years, if you don’t have longevity with the people around you, if you don’t have that high level of trust with the people around you, you’re likely learning more new faces and new systems. Essentially, this takes time away from finding your teammates for the long haul and building something great.