Sales Team Lessons From The Ryder Cup

Golf is usually an individual sport, so team competitions like the Ryder Cup add a different dynamic, and match play is just so much fun to watch. I watched the competition (and Golf Twitter for my favorite commentary) this weekend, and there were some clear corollaries between golf teams and sales teams.

Selling is usually considered an individual "sport" as well, but you can't afford to underestimate the impact the surrounding team and environment have on results. Sellers are all different. We don't all have the same motives, even if we have a few in common, but it's rare that a team of lone wolves who don't care about each other will consistently outperform a team with tight bonds between them.

With the teams I've led and the clients I work with, I've always tried to get people together to row the boat in the same direction. It makes an enormous difference.

What comes first, culture or performance?

Looking at the two Ryder Cup teams on paper, the US was stacked with major champions, almost top to bottom, while there were some clear question marks coming in about the European side (including a guy who was still an amateur this spring).

For years, we golf fans have heard about how tightly-knit the European teams always are. It's the kinship of fellow countrymen and the intense pride that goes along with it. The American team is usually painted as a bunch of spoiled frontrunners who don't play well with each other in the sandbox.

That might be painting with a bit of a broad brush, but there's a palpable difference between the two sides.

Look at the give-and-take relationship between metrics and the environment. When everybody performs well, that momentum will carry you a bit, but I'd like you to think about when the chips are down. How do you turn the ship around?

When things aren't going so well, lone wolves look for someone to blame, while a tightly bonded team will rally behind each other. Success and struggle each feel better when they're shared. When you look to either side of yourself and see someone willing to go to battle with you, it's much easier to rally.

Two years ago, the Euros lost in record fashion. There was talk of an American dynasty going well into the future. A lot has happened since then. 

The environment you create matters

Talent will get you a lot of places, but if you don't give it a place to shine, it doesn’t seem to be in as brightly. Do your team members see how their contributions are part of something bigger than themselves, or is it just about individual accolades?

Being a part of something bigger has been well-documented as something highly important to Millennials and younger generations. Every team needs a front-runner, even better if there are two, but that connection to a bigger purpose is key to real fulfillment- and performance. 

The captain of the team is responsible for creating that environment. What do you want the center of attention to be? A team goal? Continuous improvement? A longer-term, big-picture vision? If your team isn't looking at something bigger, they're not maximizing their potential.

While the Americans seem to have been caught in some controversy about whether or not they should be paid for this, the European team has rallied around the memory of Seve Ballasteros and the pride, passion, and flair for the dramatic he played with. 

This sense of purpose makes a bigger difference than you might think. Of course, the shots still needed to be hit, but never underestimate the value of a galvanizing force. That’s how David slays Goliath every time. 

Every role on that European team had an important job, and all within the context of a greater goal. When you execute within your lane, it’s incredible how things fall into place from there. There’s a lot of talk about creating your own luck. This is where that starts. 

In the end, this competition was a lot closer than it should have been. I can’t believe how late it was in the day that the US still had an opportunity to retain the championship. However, it’s not coincidental that a galvanizing force brought them together Saturday afternoon to make it even feel like a competition. 

A lot of leaders think their comp plans and metrics will do the managing for them. They talk about how sales reps will act in their own best interests. "Point them in the right direction and leave them alone." That’s not leadership, and teams deserve better. 

Culture matters. It creates the space for belief, and belief wins every time. Don’t take it for granted.