To See Extraordinary Groups, Read the News

During the last three+ years that Geoff Bellman and I have been working on Extraordinary Groups, the news has often been a source of examples of groups that are amazing. An initial clue to the example is the word-choice within printed headlines or a broadcaster's lead-in: words such as inspiring, amazing, fantastic, or unexpected describe an experience or results.

I can recall stories about a group of migrant high school students who formed study teams that resulted in surprising and significant numbers of college placements; a group of women friends who have been meeting regularly for over forty years; pairs of theatre professionals who travel to rural areas to create unforgettable children's theatre experiences; innumerable teams of volunteers that show up to assist in disasters situations. And, of course, sports stories.

As the baseball season wraps up, it's easy to see the connection between this year's Seattle Mariners and key elements of an extraordinary group. Depending on where you live, you might find a similar illustration. Essentially in 2008, the Ms lost 101 out of 162 games and had the second worst record in all of major league baseball. This year, with a new and untested manager, they finished third in their division, won 85 games, and excited fans for two reasons—the improved number of wins and the infectious good humor, bond, and joy that players exhibited from spring training to the closing game on October 4. If you read Shannon Drayer's popular blog about her observations of the clubhouse dynamics this year you'll see the connection she makes between what goes on among members and the results achieved. You'll also see many of the patterns that show up in exceptional groups. Beginning with the 5th paragraph in her October 5th blog, look for the following:

• Members commitment to one another's success
• The right people who bring the right knowledge and skills
• Trust among members, trust of designated leaders
• Quiet, steady leadership that focuses on the members and the goal
• Members providing strong, constructive leadership
• Members sharing experience and insight to help other members grow and succeed
• Great spontaneous humor and fun
• Passion and joy, the willingness to express emotions
• Commitment to common purpose and the willingness to sacrifice personal agendas for the greater good

The point here is to encourage you to look for examples of amazing achievement within groups that are reported in the news. As you look between the lines of these stories, you'll see both tangible success and the intangible human glue that group members find in their Bond with each other as they pursue a common and compelling Purpose. The more we all see such examples, the more we understand that extraordinary groups are not so uncommon. In this recognition, it becomes clear that such experiences can be intentionally encouraged by creating the conditions or applying the elements that time and time again help amazing things to happen. If you are interested, check out this YouTube video of the team immediately after the conclusion of their last game of the season. Remember, they placed third—not first—in their division.

—Kathleen