Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Team Chemistry: The Forgotten Variable in Success

I have never seen the hype machine in higher gear than it has been since LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Dwayne Wade in Miami. Many people have either predicted an 82-0 season record and/or an automatic NBA championship trophy to the Miami Heat even before the regular season had started.

The 88-80 win by the veteran Boston Celtics over the Miami Heat last night in Boston in the season opener is a reminder that talent is never enough. The Celtics, made up of a core unit of Ray Allen (20 points) , Paul Pierce (19 points), Rajon Rondo (who led the Celtics with 17 assists) and Kevin Garnett (10 points and 10 rebounds) and veteran Shaquille O'Neal, beat the Heat because of one thing: team chemistry.  Despite 31 points from LeBron James, the Heat looked disorganized and over-matched.

What we saw was a veteran Celtics team that has been together since 2007. The Celtics own one NBA championship and another finals appearance since that time. Last night, it beat a Miami team of newly acquired "super talent." The Celtic team has kept its core because of its understanding of team chemistry, cohesion, precision passing and team defense. Talent cannot be put together quickly and made to perform flawlessly without much planning, preparation, and practice.  You can expect the Miami Heat to continue to be less than stellar without much more time to come together.  The competition is gunning for them and the Heat may have a harder time than expected early in the season at least. Watch the more experienced NBA teams take advantage for the foreseeable future.

So, remember, when you want top performance and results with any team, consider team chemistry. Keep your team together and be patient. You will be rewarded. Don't assume that talent can perform at a high level without time, togetherness and maturity.


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For more on performance psychology, click on The Handbook of Peak Performance.  

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