The Power of a Positive Team

The Power of a Positive Team Plot Summary

Introduction

The gymnasium fell silent as Coach Martinez gathered his dispirited team in a huddle after their fifth consecutive loss. With slumped shoulders and downcast eyes, the players expected another lecture about working harder or playing smarter. Instead, Coach Martinez asked a simple question: "Do you believe we can be great together?" That question marked the beginning of a remarkable transformation. Within three months, this same team not only started winning games but developed an unbreakable bond that extended beyond the court, supporting each other through personal challenges and celebrating each other's successes. This story illustrates the extraordinary power of positive teams - groups of people who come together with shared vision, purpose, optimism, and commitment to achieve something extraordinary. Throughout these pages, we'll explore how positive teams aren't just more enjoyable to be part of but are demonstrably more effective and resilient in the face of challenges. We'll discover that positivity isn't merely a pleasant state of mind but a competitive advantage that gives teams the edge in business, sports, education, healthcare, and any collaborative endeavor. The principles and practices shared here are battle-tested strategies from some of the world's most successful teams, offering a blueprint for transforming ordinary groups into extraordinary forces of positive change and remarkable achievement.

Chapter 1: The Foundation: Creating a Positive Culture That Drives Performance

When Alan Mulally became CEO of Ford Motor Company in 2006, he inherited a struggling organization that had just posted a $12.7 billion loss. The company was divided by internal competition, with executives often undermining each other to protect their divisions. In his first meeting with his leadership team, Mulally introduced a revolutionary idea: a color-coded system where executives would openly share their department's status - green for good, yellow for caution, red for problems. When the first week's reports showed all green despite the company hemorrhaging money, Mulally knew he had a cultural problem. The breakthrough came the following week when Mark Fields, a senior executive, courageously showed a red slide indicating a production issue with the Ford Edge. The room fell silent, expecting Mulally's anger. Instead, Mulally began applauding, thanking Fields for his transparency, and immediately focused the team on how they could help solve the problem. This moment marked the beginning of a cultural transformation at Ford that would eventually lead to one of the most remarkable turnarounds in corporate history. Mulally understood that culture isn't just one thing - it's everything. It's the written and unwritten rules that determine how a team communicates, connects, thinks, works, and acts. He knew that many teams focus on the fruit (outcomes, numbers, profits) while ignoring the root (culture, people, relationships, process). But as Mulally demonstrated, it's not the numbers that drive culture; it's the culture that drives the numbers. The USC men's tennis team provides another illuminating example. After winning four national championships from 2009-2012, their coach Peter Smith attributes their success not to talent alone but to the championship culture they created. When asked what distinguished those championship years, Smith didn't mention better players or training methods - he talked about their culture of love, accountability, family, and respect. These stories reveal a fundamental truth: positive cultures don't happen by accident. They are intentionally created and nurtured daily through words, actions, and consistent commitment. Whether you're leading a Fortune 500 company or a neighborhood volunteer group, your most important job is creating a culture that energizes and encourages, fosters connection and teamwork, empowers learning and growth, and provides an opportunity for everyone to do their best work. When you make culture your priority, extraordinary performance naturally follows.

Chapter 2: United by Purpose: How Shared Vision Transforms Ordinary Teams

The atmosphere was tense when Brian Koppelman and his writing partner David Levien faced another creative roadblock while developing their television show "Billions." Rather than pointing fingers or retreating to separate corners, they engaged in an intense but respectful dialogue, challenging each other's ideas. Hours later, they emerged with a breakthrough that neither could have reached alone. When asked about their successful partnership spanning decades and creating hits like "Ocean's Thirteen" and "Rounders," Koppelman revealed their secret: "We were always mission focused and purpose driven. Whatever project we were working on, we knew that the work we were creating was the important thing, and our job was to work together to serve the purpose of making it the best it could be." This focused partnership exemplifies how a shared vision with a greater purpose transforms ordinary teams into extraordinary ones. When Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor became the greatest beach volleyball team in history, winning three consecutive Olympic gold medals, they achieved this through more than athletic prowess. As Walsh Jennings explains, "We knew where we wanted to go. We had a vision and a goal and were comfortable about what we had to do to get there. We wanted to be truly great. From the beginning, we were committed to each other and our mission." The power of purpose extends beyond sports and entertainment. At Organic Valley, a farmer-owned cooperative, the focus isn't on numerical sales targets but on purpose-driven goals: providing sustainable livelihoods for farmers, stewarding the land, and delivering healthy products to families. This purpose-centered approach has driven consistent growth and created a deeply engaged workforce far more committed than if they were simply chasing quarterly numbers. Charles and Esther Mully demonstrate how purpose can drive seemingly impossible achievements. After building a successful business empire in Kenya, Charles was moved by encountering street children similar to his own childhood experience of abandonment. The Mullys sold everything they owned and dedicated their fortune to rescuing, housing, nurturing, and educating children from Kenya's streets. Since 1989, they've taken in over 13,000 abandoned children, transforming lives that society had discarded. These stories illuminate the transformative power of shared vision and greater purpose. Research confirms that people are most energized when using their strengths for something bigger than themselves. Numbers and goals alone don't drive people - people with purpose drive the numbers and achieve goals. When each team member understands not just where they're going but why the journey matters, collective energy and commitment soar. A team without a compelling vision might occasionally succeed, but a team united by purpose consistently achieves what others consider impossible.

Chapter 3: The Power of Belief: How Optimism Overcomes Adversity

When Dabo Swinney became head coach of the Clemson University football team, he faced a program known for "Clemsoning" - losing games they should win. At his first team meeting, Swinney brought two signs: one that said "I can't" with the "t" crossed out, and another that simply read "Believe." He knew there wasn't much confidence inside or outside the program that they could achieve greatness. What followed was a remarkable transformation powered by belief. Working with the team over six years, I witnessed how Swinney's belief transferred to his players, and more importantly, how the players transferred this belief to each other. This collective belief culminated in the 2016-17 national championship game against Alabama. With just two minutes remaining, Alabama scored to take the lead. It looked like the game was over, but Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson gathered his offense and confidently declared, "Let's be legendary. Let's be great." Watson and his teammates believed they would march down the field and win - and that's exactly what they did, scoring a touchdown with just four seconds left on the clock to claim the national championship. The Miami Heat demonstrated similar power of persistent belief during a challenging 2016-17 season. After starting the season with a dismal 11-30 record, many teams would have given up. Instead, the Heat refused to surrender to negativity, continued to believe in each other, and finished the second half of the season with an astounding 30-11 record. Their turnaround wasn't fueled by acquiring new superstar players; it came from players who believed in each other and refused to let negativity sabotage their potential. Dr. James Gills, who completed a double triathlon six times (the last time at age 59), offers profound wisdom on maintaining belief: "I've learned to talk to myself instead of listen to myself." When asked how he accomplished such feats, he explained, "If I listen to myself, I hear all the reasons why I should give up. I hear that I'm too tired, too old, too weak to make it. But if I talk to myself, I can give myself the encouragement and words I need to hear to keep running and finish the race." These stories reveal the fundamental truth that optimism isn't just a pleasant attitude but a practical power that fuels resilience and achievement. Teams that believe together achieve together. Every moment presents an opportunity to feed either the positive or negative dog inside us, and whichever one we feed grows stronger. Great teams understand that fear is a liar, and they choose to replace "have to" with "get to," viewing challenges not as failures but as learning opportunities to stay strong (L.O.S.S.). They realize that circumstances don't define them; they define their circumstances. By maintaining collective optimism and belief even through adversity, positive teams accomplish what others consider impossible, proving that the best truly is yet to come.

Chapter 4: Breaking Through Negativity: Transformation, Not Tolerance

In 2011, after the University of Georgia football team lost their first two games of the season, head coach Mark Richt faced intense media speculation that he would lose his job. I texted him expressing my belief in the team despite their rough start. Richt's response was revealing: "Jon, the guys are still on the bus. In years past we've allowed energy vampires to ruin this team but not this year. This year we won't allow it." To reinforce this commitment, Richt had an artist draw a large picture of an energy vampire on the wall of the team meeting room. If any player or coach displayed negative attitudes or behaviors, their picture from the media guide would be placed on the vampire wall. No one wanted to be identified as an energy vampire. The results were remarkable. The team went on to win their next ten games and made it to the SEC Championship. They had transformed their culture by directly confronting negativity rather than tolerating it. This approach demonstrates a crucial truth: being a positive team isn't just about feeding the positive; it's also about weeding out the negative. One of the biggest mistakes teams make is ignoring the negativity within their ranks, allowing it to breed and grow until it eventually sabotages the team. Michael Phelps and the US Olympic men's swim team provide another powerful example. During their preparation for the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Phelps noticed occasional negative comments and complaining creeping into team interactions. At a team meeting, he directly addressed the issue: "We are getting ready to go to the Olympics. This is what we have to do, and if there is a negative comment, keep it to yourself. The more positivity we have as a team, the better off we are going to be." Phelps later reported that as soon as he said this, the team became closer and their performance improved dramatically. A school principal shared how she transformed her school's culture by inviting her entire team onto the "energy bus" and asking who was "all in" with her vision. All but two teachers embraced the positive direction. She invested time trying to help these two teachers become positive contributors, documenting her efforts carefully. Eventually, when transformation didn't occur, she had to let them go. The result? School morale and energy improved dramatically, as two negative teachers had been infecting the entire culture and mission. This approach to negativity doesn't mean eliminating all disagreement or conflict. In fact, positive teams need healthy conflict. Kerri Walsh Jennings noted that she and volleyball partner Misty May-Treanor had disagreements, but they always talked them through constructively without blame. The key distinction is between negative conflict that tears down and positive conflict that builds up through trust, respect, and love. These stories illuminate a powerful principle: transformation must precede removal. When confronting negativity, the first step should be to listen with empathy, understand the underlying causes, and coach toward positive change. As one leader put it: "Energy vampires welcome. Expect to be transformed." But if transformation fails despite genuine efforts, removing the source of persistent negativity isn't negative - it's necessary for the team's health. By addressing negativity directly rather than tolerating it, teams create an environment where positivity can flourish and everyone can do their best work.

Chapter 5: The Connection Factor: Communication That Builds Unbreakable Bonds

During the 2016 baseball season, I observed something remarkable while sitting in Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts' office. One of his players walked in to say hello, and Roberts immediately rose from his chair to give the player a five-second bear hug - the kind a father gives a son after returning from a long trip. They chatted briefly about life and practice before the player departed. When I commented on this warm interaction, Roberts explained, "I do it each day, and he often stops by to talk about life, challenges, and whatever's on his mind." Weeks later, I watched in amazement as this same player hit several crucial home runs to help the Dodgers advance in the postseason. I had witnessed firsthand how a leader's commitment to connection had transformed a struggling player into a postseason hero. This power of connection was dramatically illustrated by Google's Project Aristotle, which sought to identify the keys to their most productive and inventive teams. Surprisingly, the research revealed it wasn't the technical knowledge of team members that determined success, but rather the connection between them - created by interest in teammates' ideas, empathy, and emotional intelligence - along with a feeling of psychological safety. Though Google's A-teams were comprised of their top scientists, their most important and productive innovations came from B-teams where members felt connected, trusted, emotionally safe, and heard. The University of Virginia men's tennis team experienced a similar breakthrough. After 12 years of reaching the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and even finals without winning a championship, coach Brian Boland decided to focus on building deeper connections. During a tournament in Chicago, a blizzard canceled their flight home, stranding the team in their hotel. Boland gathered his players and asked if they considered themselves a connected team. They all said yes. He then asked them to name the most important people in their lives. Everyone said their family. Boland then asked if they knew anything about each other's families. The revealing silence that followed showed they weren't truly connected. Boland implemented a powerful exercise where each player had to learn about a teammate's family by calling and interviewing family members. The presentations that followed created profound connections that transformed the team. They went on to win the national championship that year and three of the next four years. When asked about this remarkable turnaround, Boland simply said, "Our love for each other is the difference." These stories highlight how great communication goes beyond mere information exchange - it builds bonds that create trust and commitment. The enemies of connection are busyness and stress, which activate the "reptilian brain" associated with survival rather than connection. When teams are busy and stressed, they focus on urgency rather than importance, on survival rather than relationships. As one scientist explained, "You can't be stressed and thankful at the same time." By recognizing these barriers and intentionally making time for meaningful communication, teams develop the trust and commitment that lead to extraordinary performance. The progression is clear: communication builds trust; trust generates commitment; commitment fosters teamwork; and teamwork delivers results. When teams understand this formula and invest in connection through vulnerable storytelling, shared experiences, and authentic communication, they create bonds that transform average teams into exceptional ones. As Angela Duckworth, the foremost expert on grit, confirms - the more connected a team is, the more committed they become, and this commitment produces the team grit that enables them to persevere through any challenge.

Chapter 6: From Me to We: The Commitment and Care That Define Great Teams

Former Navy SEAL Nick Hays stood on a freezing beach during Hell Week of BUD/S training, having endured five days of near-constant physical torment with almost no sleep. As he reflected on why so many quit during the first days while others persevered, he realized the crucial difference: "When you begin the week, you are excited. You have prepared for this. You want to see if you can pull it off. You want to become a Navy SEAL. See a trend here? You, you, you." Those focused only on themselves couldn't imagine enduring the suffering ahead and quit. But something different happened to Nick and those who completed the training: "I did not think about myself - about how far I had to go or how bad it might get. I knew that my team needed me here and now. I was no longer fighting for myself; I was fighting for my boat crew and for the man at my side." This transformation from "me" to "we" defines the most successful teams across all domains. At the University of Southern California, tennis player Steve Johnson had helped his team win three national championships in a row when he faced a decision: turn professional and make millions on the tour or stay for his senior year to help the team win a fourth championship. Johnson chose his team over personal gain. When former Navy SEALs conducting a team-building session with USC heard about Johnson's decision, they specifically asked to meet him, recognizing his extraordinary commitment to something greater than himself. Sean McVay, head coach of the Los Angeles Rams, adopted "We Not Me" as his central team philosophy. This principle helped transform a 4-12 team into an 11-5 division winner in a single season. Throughout their facility, "We Not Me" appears on walls, but more importantly, players live it on the practice field, in the locker room, and during games. Their remarkable turnaround wasn't just about new strategies but about a fundamental shift in mindset from individual accomplishment to collective success. The UCLA basketball coach Swen Nater exemplifies how commitment to others improves the individual. When Coach John Wooden recruited Nater, he told him he wouldn't play much because UCLA already had Bill Walton, the best center in the world. Nater's job would be to challenge and improve Walton in practice. Nater accepted this role, focusing every day on making Walton better. Something remarkable happened: while helping Walton improve, Nater also improved dramatically. Despite never starting a collegiate game, he was drafted in the first round of the NBA, named ABA Rookie of the Year, and enjoyed a 12-year professional career. At the heart of these stories lies a powerful truth: teams that care do more. They communicate more, encourage more, help more, mentor more, develop more, build more, and ultimately accomplish more. As Steve Jobs learned from his father while building a fence, caring about craftsmanship matters even when no one will see it: "But you will know." This philosophy transferred to Apple, where Jonathan Ive noted, "We believe our customers can sense the care we put into our products." Their care created products that changed the world. These examples illuminate the transformative power of shifting from "me" to "we." When individual team members commit to the team's success over their own glory, they don't just make the team better - they become better themselves. The path to extraordinary individual growth paradoxically comes through selfless commitment to collective success, proving that when we comes before me, we become the people and team we are meant to be.

Chapter 7: The Pursuit of Excellence: Why Great Teams Never Stop Growing

The Spartans were the premier fighting force in ancient Greece, and their reputation for excellence endures 2,500 years later. What made them so extraordinary? Former Navy SEAL Nick Hays explains: "Their culture valued the tactics and mind-set necessary to fight together as a single-minded unit. The Greek hoplite phalanx relied on the strength of the shields of the men to their left and right. The individual warrior saw it as his job to keep his shield up and stay alive so that he could stay in the fight, enabling his team members to do their jobs." This commitment to excellence - not just for personal glory but for the team's success - defines truly great teams across all domains. When SEAL Team Six selects new members from the already elite Navy SEALs, they look beyond individual performance to a critical quality: "What we are looking for is not just someone who performs at the highest level but who, while performing at the highest level, also looks out for his team members, making them better in the process." This distinction between being merely elite and being the elite of the elite reveals a fundamental truth: great teams pursue excellence not as individuals but as a collective force committed to bringing out the best in each other. Pete Carroll, during his time coaching USC football, instituted "Tell-the-Truth Mondays" where the team would gather after games to honestly assess what went wrong, how they could improve, and what needed to change. These sessions weren't about blame but about growth - creating a culture where truth was expected, received, and seen as an opportunity for improvement. As analyst Yogi Roth explains, "Teams must understand the difference between disagreement and dislike. You have to have the difficult conversations, but you do them in a positive way." This approach transforms the concept of love within teams. Coach Hank Janczyk discovered this truth with his Gettysburg College lacrosse team after they won 20 straight games. He reflected, "Before the season, we were a family. We loved and cared about one another. We had strong bonds and great relationships. But we weren't a great team. Our guys made excuses for each other." Janczyk realized that love without accountability couldn't produce excellence. True love means holding each other to higher standards and challenging each other to improve. Sports psychologist Michael Gervais emphasizes that this journey toward excellence isn't easy: "Shared experiences are hard. No one said it was easy to build a great team. It's easy to be average. It's hard to be a great team." Beach volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings credits difficult conversations with her partner Misty May-Treanor as crucial to their Olympic success. Working with Gervais, they engaged in critical conversations filled with healthy conflict, addressed minor issues before they became major problems, and emerged as a more powerful, connected team. These stories reveal what separates ordinary teams from extraordinary ones: the commitment to continuous improvement through what coach Brian Boland calls "positive discontent" - never being satisfied, always looking for ways to get better regardless of success or failure. The formula is powerful yet challenging: love + accountability + difficult conversations = excellence. By embracing the uncomfortable truth that discomfort leads to growth, teams push beyond the status quo and achieve what once seemed impossible. As Angela Duckworth's research on grit confirms, teams who care enough to have difficult conversations, who love each other enough to demand excellence, and who commit to growing together develop the collective resilience to persevere through any challenge on the path to greatness.

Summary

Throughout these chapters, we've witnessed the transformative journey of teams who discovered that positivity is not merely a pleasant atmosphere but a powerful competitive advantage. From Alan Mulally's culture-first approach at Ford to the shared purpose that drove the Clemson football team to a national championship, we've seen how optimism combined with honest communication creates teams capable of extraordinary achievement. The pattern is clear: teams rise or fall based on their ability to create positive cultures, unite around compelling purposes, maintain collective belief through adversity, address negativity directly, build deep connections, commit to something greater than themselves, and pursue excellence relentlessly. The wisdom distilled from these stories offers a roadmap for any team seeking to elevate their performance: cultivate a positive culture as your foundation; define a shared vision with greater purpose that inspires commitment; maintain collective optimism through challenges; transform or remove negativity rather than tolerating it; prioritize genuine connection through communication; shift from "me" to "we" through commitment and care; and never stop pursuing excellence through honest feedback and continuous improvement. As we face increasing complexity and challenges in our organizations and communities, these principles remind us that our greatest achievements never come from isolated individual effort but through the power of positive teams who believe, connect, commit, care, and grow together. When we embrace these principles, we don't just create better results - we transform ordinary groups of people into extraordinary forces capable of achieving what once seemed impossible.

About Author

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Jon Gordon

Jon Gordon is an American business consultant and author on the topics of leadership, culture, sales, and teamwork.Jon Gordon's best-selling books and talks have inspired readers and audiences around the world. His principles have been put to the test by numerous NFL, NBA, and college coaches and teams, Fortune 500 companies, school districts, hospitals and non-profits. He is the author of The Wall Street Journal bestseller The Energy Bus, The No Complaining Rule, Training Camp, The Shark and The Goldfish, Soup, The Seed and his latest The Positive Dog. Jon and his tips have been featured on The Today Show, CNN, Fox and Friends and in numerous magazines and newspapers. His clients include The Atlanta Falcons, Campbell Soup, Wells Fargo, State Farm, Novartis, Bayer and more. Jon is a graduate of Cornell University and holds a Masters in Teaching from Emory University. He and his training/consulting company are passionate about developing positive leaders, organizations and teams. When he's not running through airports or speaking, you can find him playing tennis or lacrosse with his wife and two "high energy" children. You can find him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jongordonpage

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