Genuine Teamwork

The best teammates in the world -- of any kind -- are also among the best individual performers in the world at what they do.

And, from all indications, they're fine with that.

George Hincapie made his bones as a domestique, which is a French word meaning "servant." The translation almost literally applies to the service he provides, although the demands on his body and mind far exceed the flair you may associate with the nom de guerre.

A domestique is a cyclist who, as part of a team, sacrifices himself for the sake of the group. More specifically, domestiques usually sacrifice themselves for the sake of one rider, a star cyclist who has the best chance to win an event.

As a member of the US Postal Service team, Hincapie was the only cyclist who rode with Lance Armstrong for each of the American's record seven Tour de France wins. As a domestique, he has been described as Armstrong's "body man," a hard- working rider, a body-guard and personal security officer, tougher than wolverine jerky. He performed such tasks as shielding Armstrong from aggressive competitors or opposing riders' own domestiques, looking to punish the leader. In his former role, he may have raced to the front of the peloton if a pack tried to break away and set an unfavorable pace. He may have pedalled directly in front of Armstrong, taking on such enemies as mountains and wind, giving the star a draft and a shield at the same time. He may have been the "rabbit," breaking out in front to force an increased pace, either to pull Armstong along or to burn out an opposing contender.

As if that's not enough, a domestique such as Hincapie is often called on to perform even less glamorous tasks, such as fetching water or food and acting more like a bicycle delivery man than a world-class racer. He may stand sentry by the side of the road if Armstrong needs a buffer while a tire is changed. Or he may simply surrender his own wheel to get the leader back on the course.

It's not as if Hincapie is a stiff. With Armstrong retired, he has gone on to become one of the top lead riders in the world. In hindsight, it's valid to say that he could very well have been Lance Armstrong with a slight twist of fate. Hincapie won a stage of the Tour de France himself in 2005 and finished second at Paris-Roubaix.

So what does he and fellow domestiques get for the sacrifice? They get to stand on the podium on the last day IF the team wins the team competition. Even if Armstrong wins the overall individual crown and the team doesn't, no podium for George. That's it.

Okay, well that's not really it. He gets paid and if reports are correct, he gets one of the equally divided portions of Armstrong's winnings as a bonus. And maybe he wins a stage of the Tour once or twice in a career. And he could earn a secondary award -- honorable, to be sure, but secondary -- such as "King of the Mountains," "Best Sprinter" or, early in his career, "Best Young Rider."

But Hincapie was, by all accounts, happy and proud to perform all the above mentioned tasks in order to give Armstrong the best chance to win. Remember, he's not alone; there are six other domestiques just like him who are the team behind the star. One of the amazing things about this whole scenario is that, if we accept that the Tour de France winner is the world's best cyclist, there are likely two, or three, or four domestiques on that team who are among the best cyclists in the world themselves!

Floyd Landis, for example, was an Armstrong domestique from 2002-2005. Known as the Master of the Mountains, he eventually left USPS for his own team and won a Tour himself (until a drug scandal left him maillot-less). Same goes for Levi Leipheimer, a former USPS rider who finished third in last year's Tour.

Boiling it down, seven cycling domestiques -- even the ones who ride for the weaker teams -- punish themselves. They punish themselves physically, mentally, psychologically, and physically again. They do it in wind, rain and heat. They do it during searing springs and rugged, dangerous mountain climbs. They do it at the Tour de France for 2,400 miles over 21 days just so someone else can ride down the Champs Elysee with a flute of champagne in his hand. And they do it without complaint, performing their specific roles to the best of their abilities.

Dear readers, that's a team.

Thanks for reading. More to come.

Imagine a team with no leader, no single authority figure, no one person accountable for direction, strategy, management or results. What are you picturing? Confusion? Lack of focus? In-fighting? Disengagement? Perhaps that's what it would be like in many organizational settings. Today, thanks (again) to Jeffrey Pfeffer's terrific "What Were They Thinking," we offer an example of such an organization, one that is perhaps the best illustration of an authentic team.

It's also a rare exception.

New York City's Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is the only orchestra I've ever heard of that does not have a conductor. Instead, all of its musicians play the role of orchestra leader at one point or another. In fact, positions of instrumental discipline in the orchestra shift as well.

The orchestra operates through The Orpheus Process (learn more here: www.orpheusnyc.org/process), which is described as the organization's "unique method of preparation and performance. Instead of one person taking on the orchestra's artistic responsibility and leadership, we share leadership throughout the membership of the orchestra. Each piece sees a different concertmaster, rotating principle musician chairs, and a sharing of ideas and inspirations. This empowering formula creates a dynamic setting where each musician takes artistic ownership of the performance, not just his or her own part."

Many business teams take directions from a leader, who could be anything from strong to visionary to overbearing to close-minded to belligerent. While some of these qualities may actually prove beneficial, they all have some sort of impact on the team's members. What we often see is a reaction that Pfeffer describes which is the antithesis of the Orpheus Process: "Under a strong leader whose opinions become what the organization does, members soon learn to quell their own voices. Why bother advocating a point of view or providing information or assistance unless asked, because it will be ignored in any event?"

The premise of the Fallacy of Teamwork is that this is precisely what happens.

Pfeffer further describes a condition within an economic theory context in which individuals are reluctant to take responsibility and make "sustained effort to improve the situation, as your chance of making a substantial difference is going to be small..." The evidence in countless "team" settings in business is that this is prevalent. And yet this human reaction is just part of a soup that business leaders call "teamwork."

None of this seems to happen in the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Musicians not only rotate through principle performer status, they also shoulder the non-performance responsibilities, including program organization, fun-raising and public relations.

In this appropriately entitled chapter, "Why Employees Should Lead Themselves," Pfeffer describes the skills that are required to be a member of Orpheus, skills which are the key to the success of the group and lacking in most business teams.

The orchestra members listen...really listen...to each other. They speak up because they have confidence. They participate equally in decision-making. They not only accept, but appear to welcome, accountability. They are thoroughly collaborative.

In truth, the orchestra has no choice. They have accepted a condition and an environment in which they all agree to put themselves on the line in every meeting, every rehearsal, every performance. Failure of one means failure for all. In concert with that acceptance comes perhaps the most elusive of all ingredients: a genuine common goal that is not derailed by individual motivation. The motivations of the individuals and the orchestra is one in the same.

Thanks for reading...and I encourage you to read Jeffrey Pfeffer's "What Were They Thinking." More to come...

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