The old idea of the individual is less important than the team or group is no longer applicable in this 21st century global community...Here we break it down

1. Umar Muhammad, M.S., SME
Principal Sports Strategist
USports Consulting, LLC

2. Who Am I?
 Born in Durham, NC, went to ‘FUMA’
 Raised in family that values service and business ie:
Social Enterprises
 Passionate about sports; its utility in developing
people and inspiring behavioral change
 Basketball is my favorite sport
 I love making connections…with people, entities and
life experiences

3. The Game Plan
THE OLD
 No “ I” in Team
 Everyone is equal
 Harmony is key
THE NEW
 There is a “I” in Team and it matters…
 On HPTs, everyone is not equal
 Competition is key
THE CHALLENGE
 Exploit “I” qualities, manage “I” risks
 Manage HPT inequalities
 Manage HPT tensions; balance harmony and competition

4. Why There Is An “I” In Team…
 Talented, high performing people are needed to create
teams that perform at a high levels; High Performance
Teams (HPT)
 Like sports, business success is measured by
performance outcomes.
 Successful sports teams usually have multiple elite,
high performing individuals…ie. NBA Playoff teams
 HPTs benefit from variations is talent, personality and
pay
 Teams begin and end with individuals; High Performers

5. What The “I” Is Made Of...
The same qualities that make individuals gifted
also makes them difficult team members…
 Perfectionism
 Paranoia
 Tenacity
 Self-Confidence

6. Perfectionist
May raise team performance but striving for
flawlessness, being overly critical can foster resistance
and cynicism
The Bad…
 Most people who are perfectionist are also worry about failing or
making mistakes, which hampers performance/less enjoyable
experience
The Good…
 If more emphasis is put on making sure ‘next time is better than
before’ and reframe ambitions to ‘realizing success than avoiding
failure’

7. Paranoid
Can be very intuitive and intelligent which can improve
team innovation, but irrationality, fear and distrust can
hurt performance
The Bad…
 Deep-seated insecurities and anxieties can lead to ‘they out to
get me” mentality and impair clear reasoning within team
The Good…
 You are never satisfied, always believing more is deserved…
“Success breeds complacency and complacency failure”

8. Tenacious
Will exhibit perseverance, resolve and intensity which
can inspire, but ‘headstrong’ personality, risky behavior
can impair team performance
The Bad…
 Ambition and intensity can lead to explosive interactions/
outbursts with team members and others
The Good…
 Willing to sacrifice personal comfort for the team, and maintain
a high level of energy/steadfastness

9. Self-Confident
Belief in one’s ability to make good choices and perform
difficult tasks, but an ‘unchecked ego’ can interfere with
team goals and cohesion
The Bad…
 Tendency to be less confident in skills of other members, which
leads to resentment and insensitivity in dealing with people
The Good…
 Usually decisive, intelligent and ambitious; their charisma and
‘grasp of the complex’ can help bring out the best in others

10. Managing the Bad and Good
Discipline = Responsibility and Accountability
Individual Responsibility-Making the team work for you;
use work relationships to leverage your talents; Own your
behaviors and actions
Individual Accountability – Accepting stewardship of
tasks, resources and deliverables; Own your choices and
results
“Discipline is doing what you are supposed to do in the best possible
manner at the time you are supposed to do it.”
-Coach K

11. Accepting the Inequalities
Differences in Talent
 Inspire or diminish others?
Differences in Pay
 Enhance cooperation or improve productivity?
Differences in Personality
 Lovable fools or competent jerks?
“If you want to build a ship, don’t teach the workers to find the wood
and saw it and nail the boards together; teach them how to love the
seas.”

12. Competing in Harmony
Interpersonal conflicts or rivalries are inevitable in human
relations, the challenge is maintaining the delicate balance
between internal competition and harmony. But there are other
tensions too…
 Trust and Vigilance
 Control and Autonomy
 Stability and Change
 Greed and Altruism
“The potential for conflict is never far away, not just because team members often
fall prey to their own insecurities, but because we all believe things should be
done in particular ways”
-Mark de Rond

13. G.R.O.W. into Your Best “I”
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people
will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you
made them feel.” –Maya Angelou
It is important first to tackle our emotions, they are the core of interpersonal
conflict…and teams must have sufficient, uninterrupted time and privacy to
mediate… with those complicit in the conflict
G.R.O.W. is a conflict management approach that coaches individuals in
teams to work through issues relating to their own performance and that of
the overall team. It not only helps prevent relational conflict but also helps
team members see how reliant they are on the support of fellow teammates
in realizing their own aspirations.

14. Thank You!!!
 Comments???
 Questions???
Note: Some ideas and info within this presentation is adapted from research and
writings done by Mark de Rond