Team Success and the 4 C's

I’ve worked on numerous teams throughout my career in sales/fundraising; for small and large companies in the USA, Serbia and Sweden. During that time, there were a few that thoroughly exemplified the 4 C’s – Confidence, Competence, Commitment and Caring.

In my opinion, those aforementioned elements are crucial for any team to succeed at the highest level. Two teams (let’s call them X and Y) were the most impressive.

Confidence – To be effective in any endeavour requires confidence. Teams X and Y had confidence to spare.

Competence – The time spent with these teams was wonderful in terms of results and the overall competence played a big role in our success. That knowledge along with the ability to use it to achieve challenging goals inspired me on numerous occasions!

Commitment – One can be confident and competent yet lack the commitment it takes to succeed in a competitive business world. I didn’t see any evidence of a team member not being 100% committed to our goals.

Caring – Last but not least is the caring aspect of teams X and Y. Numerous team members spent time with me during my first year to make sure I understood the industry which gave me great insight on how to succeed. They also were gracious with their feedback when I peppered them with questions.

In addition, I didn’t see or hear about any jealous acts or insincere commentary which was refreshing. I also like the fact that we tended to tease or make fun of each other occasionally which I consider the sign of a caring team. Some of my best laughing moments have been with these teams!

The importance of caring should not be overlooked in business or life and separates these teams from others I have worked with. With some, there were those who only cared about themselves or weren’t as committed to our goals. While these individuals may have had personal success, the team’s ability to perform at the highest level was compromised.

I had an interesting, challenging, fun and successful time with teams X and Y and much of that emanated from the 4 C’s. Life has been good to me and I enjoyed most of the teams I’ve worked with although these two were special.

Here’s hoping your team possesses the 4 C’s – Confidence, Competence, Commitment and Caring.

Happy Gswede Sunday!

A man's fire of wood on the beach in southern Sweden