Page 100 - How to Drive the Bottom Line with People

Built to Serve

rganizations are like teams, and teams
Oattract fans. In fact, teams are composed of play-

ers and fans. Players represent the team every day of the
week because, whether or not they are playing, they are
still a part of the team. Players are apprised of the team’s

strategies and tactics, know the “playbook,” and take
ownership of their role in the overall success of each
play. Players wear the same uniform as other team mem-
bers, not one of their choosing. They rely on one another
for support, and they recognize and embrace their team-

mates’ strengths. They win together and lose together.
They exude camaraderie, loyalty, and unity.
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= On the other hand, fans are fickle. If the team is

winning, they are happy. If the team is losing, they are
unhappy—sometimes very unhappy. Fans like to offer
advice, yet the overwhelming majority have never
played the game. They wear whatever makes them feel
good that day; they have even been known to paint

their faces or wear costumes in hopes of catching a tel-
evision producer’s attention and getting two or three
seconds on camera. Fans are like outdoor pennants

fastened to stadium poles—they flutter in the same
direction as the prevailing breeze.
In the early 1970s, McCoy McLemore, a professional
basketball player, moved into a house directly across the