Team. Where is the "I" in Team?

Look no further than the San Antonio Spurs and you will find the "I" in team.  But, the "I" does not proceed the TEAM or stand apart from TEAM.  It gently emerges from the culture of the TEAM.

What principles guide the Spurs?

1. Recruiting.  They have an eye for talent.  They don't chase the superstar.  They find talent and develop them.
2. Find player who fit the culture of the organization and the team, which implies your organization must have a clear identified culture.
3. Retention.  This culture produces loyalty, commitment, and experience.  Tenured leaders come with knowledge, credibility, trust, and a strategic outlook.
4. Tenure.  Tenure produces experience, maturity, professionalism, and leadership.  These are key drivers in bringing other players into the organization where they are taught the system, professionalism, and how to be successful. 
5. "Team First Mentality." They play for the name on the front of the jersey not on the back of the jersey.
6. Buying into the team system.  Trust creates buy-in.  Team systems treat people well.  These systems are honest with players and create chemistry.

Morgan Hoogvelt says it well,

Take a lesson from the greatest sports franchise in America and see if you can create a team, a department, or even a company where you recruit not only the best, but those who fit your culture and have that team-first mentality — then develop them. Create a retention program where you can identify and keep your key leaders and team members in order to create an environment of knowledge, credibility, trust, and strategy.

Read more of Morgan's post here: here-is-no-i-in-team-but-theres-a-team-in-spurs/