乌鸦传媒

Famous victories, record-breaking feats, and sublime examples of individual skill 鈥� these are the things that make sports headlines. Behind every sport’s success, however, there is a story of the hard work, inspired leadership, and team mentality that combined to make it happen.

Those attributes can deliver wins at work too. We asked two 乌鸦传媒 colleagues who compete in sports how the values learned on the training field play out in the workplace. Here are their top pieces of advice.

It鈥檚 all for one and one for all

What makes a good leader of a sports team?

One requirement, says Yuta Tajima, associate consultant at 乌鸦传媒 in Tokyo and a keen rugby player, who plays at scrum-half, is to treat every team member equally. 鈥�

The team leader coordinates the team and brings everybody together, but to do that, you need to look at team members eye to eye. In Japan, the phrase 鈥榓ll for one and one for all鈥� is popular. That鈥檚 a key understanding when you play rugby. If a team scores a try, it鈥檚 never just about the player who carries the ball across the line, because 鈥� before that point 鈥� the ball has been passed on from one person to another. Everyone in the team is involved. It鈥檚 exactly the same in work.鈥�

A team is a magic combination

Prashant Shukla is a member of the Sweden national cricket team and a Pega Architect at 乌鸦传媒 in Stockholm. When he鈥檚 not at work, he plays cricket. 鈥淐ricket is a team game,鈥� he says, 鈥渁nd sometimes people are better at some parts of the game than others. For example, I鈥檓 mainly a spin bowler and I know where my skills can affect the game. Other people in the team have different skills 鈥撀爉aybe you鈥檙e a fast bowler or a wicketkeeper. That鈥檚 what makes the team.

At work, that might be about having team members from different cultures or professional backgrounds. For project delivery, it might be that some people have the quality to be a good developer; others are good managers or good testers. Individually, you can do many things, but when a team comes together you can really move forward. Only together can you deliver the magic.鈥�

Take care of the little things

鈥淚n our rugby team, one of the older players often takes the rugby ball back home after we practice,鈥� says Yuta. 鈥淭he journey for him is about one-and-a-half hours from the center of Tokyo, but he takes the trouble to look after the ball and bring it back the following week. Because he takes care to do this simple thing, we know we can trust him. When it comes to earning trust, these little things matter and bring confidence over time.鈥�

Find what鈥檚 natural and authentic

鈥淚n India, where I grew up, cricket is almost a religion,鈥� says Prashant. 鈥淧eople get it from birth. It鈥檚 almost not something that has to be taught. I have no memory of the time I got interested in cricket; it was just there.

When something is deeply rooted inside us and it becomes our culture, doing it feels natural and authentic. If you can bring that authentic attitude to your professional life, then you鈥檒l always be willing to learn and improve, and have fun while doing it.鈥�

Keep learning

鈥淚n work, the more you learn the better,鈥� says Yuta. 鈥淏ut sometimes that means accepting you will get things wrong and that you have to welcome constructive criticism. After a rugby game, you review what went well and what didn鈥檛. You and your team members may have made mistakes. How could you have supported the other players better? As you learn, however, always remember to try to have fun and know that taking action is a positive step, even if it doesn鈥檛 always work out.鈥�

Adapt to the challenge

鈥淚n cricket, the opposition you face 鈥� and even the weather 鈥� can completely change the type of challenge you are up against,鈥� says Prashant. 鈥淎s a spin bowler, I鈥檒l alter my bowling depending on who the batter is. You have to adapt your play to the situation, and you need to build a team that can adapt through the match or a series of matches. It means whatever the challenge, and whatever factors change, you have an option within the team to which you can turn to try to get the win. At work, you also need to be adaptable and open to change at any time.鈥�

Team spirit is earned

At 乌鸦传媒, our goal is to 鈥榞et the future you want.鈥� As with rugby, however, if that future is to be had by everyone, it has to be won together 鈥� with your teammates, for example. Work should be about one team spirit, but it requires a lot of communication if that spirit is to survive and thrive. The key question is always whether team members trust each other. Trust matters more than anything in sport, and it is developed on the field and off it. Only then will the future be one you can all really believe in.鈥�