Achieving Goals is Always a Collective Affair

Have you ever accomplished a goal all by yourself, without help or support from someone else? Our Mexico & Americas consultant Liliana Herrera believes that accomplishing goals is always a team effort.

“Mexicans do not practice teamwork”, is a complaint often heard in sports… and in organizational scenarios. And sadly there is some hidden truth in that belief.

If we look at historical sports recordings, we will find that, in fact, Mexico has performed quite well in individual disciplines like power walking, archery, taekwondo, weightlifting, and boxing; but our performance has traditionally been poor in collective sports like volleyball, basketball, and soccer. What’s behind this phenomenon?

On the surface, it might seem like we can't join forces with others, collaborate, support, or cooperate. But if we dig deeper, we'll discover that the potential for synergy is there. We just need to accept that no goal can be achieved individually. Achieving a goal is always a collective matter.

How do trainers, associations, sponsors, or fans, foster “team spirit” in sports? They rarely do it. People usually look for –and praise—individual “stars” and forget the rest of the teams. Many times, companies make the same mistake.

What happens when the opposite view is promoted? A recent example can be seen with Donovan Carrillo, a Mexican ice skater who has been standing out in international competitions. And ice skating is an individual sport, right? Well, actually it is not.

No sport is individual; no accomplishment is individual. There is always more than one person doing something relevant behind the apparent sole performer. In the case of Donovan Carillo, he has rightfully acknowledged the contribution of his trainer, his choreographer, his family and even his fans, as indispensable factors for his success.

Every human activity is a collective activity. There is always someone supporting us, either directly or indirectly. Can you think of one goal achieved in your life, where you were the sole performer and did not receive help or support from anyone at all? It’s almost certain that you cannot.

Companies that have understood this principle have created performance and reward systems that recognize collective achievements in every area/department/function. And those companies are the most successful in their fields.

Attracting talent is, no doubt, a collective activity. As Executive Search specialists we cannot arrive at an excellent hire without the help of our customers. We depend on the input that our customers provide (job profile, organizational culture, time for interviews, feedback) to achieve our shared goal: FIND THE TALENT YOU NEED. And we do it this way in Mexico and elsewhere at Steinbach & Partner!!

All human scenarios –competitive sports, organizations, schools, family, etc.—require group efforts to accomplish their mission.

Let us share your goals and help you FIND YOUR TALENT!