The Cowboys Will Never Win it All!

To a certain degree, strong egos and successful athletes go hand in hand. Unfortunately, an out of control ego can also breakdown teamwork and lead to a talented team of individuals never reaching that ultimate goal of team sports: the championship trophy.

I live in the Dallas area and would like nothing more than to be a Cowboy fan. Unfortunately, they have an owner who insists on hiring players who will never work well on a team. For example, Terrell Owns. He has a lot of talent, but week after week he seems to be more interested in how many times he touches the ball instead of if the team is successful. During the post game interview several weeks ago following their first loss, T.O. said that the offense stagnated because he did not get the ball enough. That is after they sent it his way 17 times!

Superstars like T.O. may be fun to watch when the team is winning, but when things are tight and the season is on the line, their selfish actions will always keep a team from winning the big games. I will admit that T.O. has gotten better in the past year, but until he either leaves Dallas or learns to put his team ahead of his own ego, the Cowboys will never make it all the way.

The same is true of teams in the corporate world. An organization will never reach its potential when there are members of the team who are more concerned with their own career progression than helping the company reach their goals.

It is a tricky balance! We need people who have self-confidence and are driven to success, but not at the expense of the overall team or organization. The goal is to find talented individuals who get their excitement when the team has a win!