After the shock early exit of defending champions Germany from the World Cup, let’s explore why all-star teams sometimes fail to perform. And how to protect your team from prima-donnas.

A numbers game

After Germany’s exit in the World Cup group stages – for the first time in 70 years – critics were quick to blame the team’s stars for falling short. Before pundits could shut dropped jaws, Spain’s A-listers lost to a Russia team with players their own fans struggled to name.

But studies show these games aren’t one-offs. In a ten-year study of football teams, researchers found those with more elite athletes performed worse than sides with fewer top-level players. [1]

It’s a similar story for basketball. Scientists discovered NBA teams with three star players won more games than those with four or five. [2]

Taking heat

The stats won’t surprise basketball fans. In 2010, pro outfit Miami Heat tried to create a dream team by adding hot shots LeBron James and Chris Bosh to play with their existing star player Dwyane Wade.

But when the team failed to lift a single trophy in its first year, Miami Heat didn’t break the bank for another star. They bought journeyman Shane Battier.

Battier doesn’t score three-pointers. He dives for loose balls, charges down shots and runs defence. As the player says, ‘Really, the things that just take awareness and energy, I try to be the absolute best, because I wasn’t the most athletic, I wasn’t always the best player, but those were the things that I could control to keep me on the playing floor.’ [3]

For author Adam Grant, Battier’s strengths lie in ‘realising you’re not above doing whatever the team needs’. [4] With the help of Battier’s teamwork ethic and humility, Miami Heat racked-up back-to-back titles in 2012/13.

As psychologist Cindi Nay writes, ‘When a team roster is flooded with individual talent, pursuit of personal star status may prevent the attainment of team goals.’ [5]

Lifting your teammates

Battier’s humility inspired his other teammates to raise their game – includes big-names like LeBron James who he gave pointers to for blocking shots. [6]

Psychologists call this collective stepping-up ‘moral elevation’. It’s the warm feeling we get when we see others do good. [7] It doesn’t have to be superhero acts, either. For psychologist Sara Algoe, it’s the ‘everyday stuff that people do’ [8] which cause chests to tingle. What’s more, it’s infectious. As Algoe says, ‘people who experience moral elevation from seeing other people’s virtuous acts actually want to be virtuous themselves.’ [9]

But it’s not just butterflies in the tummy. Scientists have discovered our brains adapt to an ‘emotional culture’ which helps us read other people’s emotions to gauge an appropriate response. [10] Also dubbed ‘emotional contagion’, we can influence the emotions and behaviours of others – directly or indirectly – with what we say and what we do. [11]

Delivering humility

It’s not just on the court or pitch that humility can spread for the good of the team. Virtuous acts can motivate and energise people to be their best at work. And leaders can inspire them.

For his book Alive at Work: The Neuroscience of Helping Your People Love What They Do, Dan Cable followed a food delivery service in turmoil. When the company started to focus on metrics over the wellbeing of its drivers, staff engagement plummeted.

The turning point came when managers asked drivers, ‘How can I help you deliver excellent service?’. Drivers answered, got praise from managers and realised they could help customers. Which encouraged more drivers to join in.

By asking staff for help, leaders showed they didn’t have all the answers and that they valued employee’s expertise. What’s more, the driver’s ideas helped streamline the company’s processes, improve delivery times and deliver better customer service. [12]

Google it

In a two-year study into team performance, Google discovered its highest-performing teams have one thing in common – psychological safety. In short, they know they won’t be punished if they make a mistake.

Researchers at University of North Carolina discovered when we feel safe, we become more open-minded. Wired with extra ‘cuddle-hormone’ oxytocin in our brains, we’re more willing to take risks, share ideas and get creative – traits that lead to success on the football pitch and in the boardroom.

Want to pinch some code from Google’s algorithm? Google’s head of industry Paul Santagata suggests you:

Create healthy conflict – people hate losing more than they love winning. That’s why we waste energy trying to right perceived wrongs. To focus your team on win-wins, try asking, ‘How could we achieve a mutually desirable outcome?’ [13]

Swap blame for curiosity – those who create problems are often best placed to solve them. To get to the root cause of an issue, try asking, ‘What would be your ideal scenario?’ [14]

Measure it – Santagata asks his team (face-to-face and through surveys) how safe they feel and what would make them feel safer. To do the same, try asking, ‘How confident are you that you won’t receive retaliation or criticism if you admit an error or make a mistake?’ [15]

So, if you have disruptive stars in your team, lead by example to spread humility and a teamwork ethic. And create room for individuals to share their ideas. Do that and you’ll bring out everyone’s star qualities.

Reposted from https://app.goodpractice.net