We hear a lot about chemistry these days. NFL Hall of Famer quarterback Roger Staubach once said, "In any team sport, the best teams have consistency and chemistry." And by "consistency", I think he meant that the best teams had the same group of players year in and year out, which translated into a stable team chemistry and hence, a culture of winning and success. By way of example, NBA great LeBron James recently said, when speaking of his new team, the Los Angeles Lakers, that team chemistry needs time to develop. "I always kind of compare it to like instant oatmeal. It is not that fast."
Don't get me wrong. Individual talent, knowledge, ability, and skill are all important. I am sure that there are a number of college football coaches that would absolutely be thrilled to have the talent that Coach Nick Saban has on his 2018 Alabama Crimson Tide football team. However, we can all think of examples of teams - whether in sports, business, or politics - that had lots of individual talent and skill and yet never really became the kind of team that was successful (the so-called failed "dream" teams).
Some times, chemistry wins over talent. Teams that have a unified purpose and a shared vision (both of which are important facets of team chemistry) can and do win over teams that are much more talented. Legendary hockey coach, Herb Brooks knew that about his 1980 USA Olympic Men's Hockey team when they faced the highly talented and heavily favored Soviet Union team ("If we played 'em ten times, they might win nine...") at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics. Team USA beat the Soviets 4-3 (Miracle on Ice) and went on to win the Gold Medal.
More recently (just last night, as a matter of fact), the Purdue University (my alma mater) football team defeated the #2 ranked team in the country (the Ohio State Buckeyes) 40-29 in front of a national television audience. Ohio State was ranked #2 for a reason - they are that talented. But there was just something about the Boilermakers last night. They played like a team on a mission (in contrast, Ohio State across the board, including their head coach and his staff, looked stunned and lost). Chemistry, in this case, won over talent.
The Boilermakers were, in fact, playing for a purpose. They were playing for their honorary team captain, a young man named Tyler Trent who is suffering from terminal bone cancer (and in all likelihood has days to a few short weeks to live). Purdue's head coach, Jeff Brohm said in his post-game locker room speech, "You guys know 'Tyler Strong' means something. This young man has been strong. His family's been strong. We're happy as heck to support him and to have him as our team captain. For him to even be here is remarkable. The guy never makes excuses. He never complains. Huge smile on his face every day, he's got a great attitude. He's about giving back to other people. That's what being a Boilermaker is all about."
Team chemistry. It matters. And it matters a lot. Next time, we'll spend some more time talking about just how much chemistry matters...
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