There was a lot of pre Super Bowl hype. But if you listened carefully to the “bazillion” news stories, there were some interesting lessons about business.

Don’t worry – I’m not about to do the worn out “sports as metaphor for business” story. But, there was something that really caught my attention. Something so obvious maybe I’m the last person to notice it.

One commentator was talking about the Steelers defensive team – noting that they’ve played together for a while and really know how to work as a team. What struck me is that in sports, the expectation is that a group will become a cohesive, collaborative, near “organism” capable of doing things no, one individual could accomplish.

That isn’t any revelation. What is, is that the same expectation isn’t nearly as firmly held in business. In business, we talk about the importance of teamwork, we even take some mild steps to create it.

In sports, it is a REQUIREMENT! And, team mates are taught how to work as a team, they practice being a team, and when they don’t act as a team, there is “extra coaching” (when I was in junior high school, that typically meant laps).

Do you invest time and effort getting you “group” to work as a team? When they don’t work as a team, do you coach them to the desired level of performance? Do you understand your own unique role AND responsibilities as the “team captain” (leader/manager)?