Team Culture

What you won’t see from any of these people in Team New Zealand, is anything about ‘me’. They won’t talk about their own personal contribution. They will talk about how great this is for their team, for their supporters, for their country.

Prof. Mark Orams, Commentator

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Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit…each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Philippians 2:4

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Decades ago when New Zealand was assembling a yachting team to battle for the America’s cup, the naming of that team was taken very seriously. Peter Blake, who would head up the campaign, was very clear that the name needed to be the first step of establishing the culture they wanted. The name settled on was Team New Zealand. Choosing to have the word ‘team’ as the first word of the name was a significant decision. In a sport where huge amounts of money were needed and media were a big part of the competition, Blake wanted the team to always come first and for everyone involved to know that there was no individual bigger than the team.

Thirty years on, that focus on team is still the core of Team New Zealand. In their recent campaign that ended up bringing home the America’s Cup once again, there were several indicators of the humble, whatever-is-best-for-the-team attitude pervading. In a competition where many of the teams had budgets of around $250,000,000, Team New Zealand was operating with $150,000,000. This meant that often after the team had been out on the water training or competing, they would attend the sponsors event and then clean up after the event rather than paying for extra staff to do that work. They wanted every cent to go towards the boat and the campaign, even if it meant stacking dirty dishes and vacuuming after an event. The team and its campaign came first.

Thinking About It

The culture of sport is often to create stars. Supporters, coaches and media can all be looking to identify individuals they can admire and put on a pedestal, but this mentality tears away at team culture rather than strengthening it.  While there may be differing levels of skill within a team and different levels of visibility of individuals (compare a rugby prop forward to a winger or a yachting helmsman to a grinder), all members need to be valued and respected. This is the culture Team New Zealand has established and it has enabled them to achieve victory over far wealthier sides from far bigger nations.

The bible says that valuing those around us is a key part of walking with God. It is how He calls us to live. Seeking prestige or glory or having favourites are all behaviours that are spoken against in the book of James (James 2:1-9). While we may get momentary satisfaction from public praise, if it has come at the cost of treating others badly, it will not compare to the fulfilment of knowing we have worked well with those around us and tasted success together. God’s way is to see the value in everyone, thereby enabling us all to be in an environment where we can all perform at our best.

Prayer

Thank You Lord for Your design for community – one in which everyone is valued and respected. Even when I am at my most determined to achieve a goal, help me to still value those around me and treat them in a way that honours You.

Contributor:
Sarah Auld, SCNZ (pictured)

General Editor:
Sarah Auld

Content Editor:
Phil Pawley

Inspirational Reflections © Sports Chaplaincy New Zealand, 2021