Comparing elite teamwork in special forces and sports teams is wrong and inappropriate for businesses.
This was the point of view of one of our partner in preparation for recording a podcast episode; they felt that teamwork was their main focus.
Military special forces are professional teamwork specialists.
They practice only teamwork 24/7; that’s what they do.
It is impossible for business owners to ever catch up with these standards of performance.
…
Until I pointed out that teamwork, in and of itself, has no utility, no real value.
Teamwork is a solution to a problem.
That’s so hard for people to understand… because teamwork is confused with team building.
It’s not about moral building — though, esprit de corps is vital for success — ; in special forces, the team is not focused on teamwork as the “be all and end all”, instead, it’s a strategy to achieve a mission.
In fast-moving, asynchronous, networked, hostile, environments in which the opposition use unconventional means to disrupt and cause chaos, the expert team is the best means to counter these challenges.
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