Winning or losing a competition depends on three critical factors: leadership, preparation and team spirit. Most teams focus hard on tactical and strategic preparation, but flip during tough competitions because of lack of team spirit, which is a vital factor to overcome an equally well-prepared opponent, led by a resolute leader.

Nobody gains from living in a sea of hate or conflict. A bit of conflict now and then in a team is natural and manageable, but persistent tension or conflict can break the spirit of even the best of teams.

A great team carries a spirit or sense of mission that can lift every team member to deliver the best when the chips are down. A team that is positive and free from ongoing conflicts brings out the best in everyone to achieve the team mission.

Every comment made by the team leader and every action taken has the potential to affect the spirit of a team, whether one is a team member, coach, staff member or administrator. Being positive with teammates and family members and challenging each other in positive ways brings out the very best in everyone. Being negative does the opposite.

The first team goal shouldn’t be to win at all costs, but to do no harm to your own performance or the performance of your teammates. You don’t have to love or like everyone in your team, but you must do your job as well as you can and free your teammates to do their jobs the best way they can without interference. This simply means that you should not become an obstacle that interferes with the achievement of the team goal. To achieve great things within a team context, you have to put the team mission above everything.

One of the most satisfying experiences in sport is being a member of a team that gets along well and works as a cohesive, collaborative unit. Team spirit grows when all team members feel that they have a meaningful role to play, when all team members are challenged to be what they can be, and when they all have some fun in the process of getting where they want to be.

Harmony grows when you look for good qualities in teammates and they look for yours, when you take the time to listen to others without imposing yourself on them and they listen to you, and when you accept their differences and they accept yours. Remember that harmony and improved team performance is rooted in mutual trust and respect.

No one is perfect, everyone lives with many imperfections. Those who consider themselves perfect are fools. When Olympic and professional team psychologist Cal Botterill studied the link between moods and performance in highly skilled athletes, he discovered that team harmony was the key factor in ultimate performance.

Merely being together at the workplace, practice, or competitions does not necessarily increase harmony or team spirit. For harmony to develop, individuals must commit to a common mission or goal, and be linked in some interdependent ways, so that they rely on one another and help one another in the pursuit of their goal.

Positive, open and meaningful communication among teammates and between coaches and athletes is extremely important for attaining best possible performances, nurturing team spirit and maintaining personal wellbeing.

In most teams, athletes mentally prepare mostly on their own and keep many of their best thoughts to themselves. Teams could gain significantly if individual athletes shared insights about their individual strengths and communicated about mental strategies particularly with younger players having less experience.

Regular discussions that are open and constructively oriented among team members before and after competitions or practice sessions can do wonders for team morale, focus, harmony and overall performance. In performance situations, physical skills are enhanced when your emotions are working for you, not against you. Everyone’s task becomes clear and easy to attain when teammates and coaches are working together for each other.

Inspiration from other members of the team is another important factor in developing team spirit. When one person in a team takes a positive step, others are usually inspired to do likewise. When Thomas Grandi, a world class Alpine skier, won the world cup in the technical event in alpine skiing, the others in his team were inspired to emulate his success. The same happens in the game of cricket. When the top order performs with bat or a bowler puts his heart and soul in his spell, his mates try to follow in his footsteps.

I have witnessed this stepping-up phenomenon during peak days of Pakistan hockey in the decades of eighties and nineties, when everyone in the team despite individual differences played with full focus and intensity.

When a team is on a focused mission, it ends up beating teams that they are not supposed to beat because of the spirit and focus that they bring to their game performance.

Pakistan cricket team at present comprises some excellent and exciting talented athletes. The team is preparing well for the Asia Cup and World Cup to be played later in the year. They will be pitched against the best in the business, who would be equally or better prepared in certain areas of the game. The deciding factor between win and loss will be the team spirit and correct decisions made by the leadership in all spheres of the game.

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