This week two things dovetailed rather interestingly. I finished the final 3 episodes of “The Last Dance” on Netflix and also the last few chapters of the book “No Rules Rules” by the Netflix founder.

Apart from the common aspect of both being related to Netflix, what I found interesting was that both dealt with a common subject – teams and leadership, and which one is more important!

What makes some teams tick and not the others? Why some leaders are more successful? These questions are important not just in sports or business but also in our daily lives. Because, that is what helps us move forward as a society…

Most of us believe that the leader is the most important person. There are paeans written about some of the most successful ones and how they changed the course of history or of their team. There are multiple books devoted to the art of leading and how to be a good leader.

On the other side, some of us believe that it is the sum total of the team members that makes a team reach the top. Each member plays an important role in the buildup and the final act towards that success. And yet, we are all expected to play a part as a good team member naturally; no one teaches us how to be one.

Looking at the two examples this week made me realise that it is a symbiotic relationship. A leader is as good as her team and draws strength from the individual parts to shape it up for the success. And the team members are equal contributors to the success if they fit in that gap and play to their strengths.

There have been many leaders who were good in their own right but couldn’t succeed because the team wasn’t just good enough. And there have been teams which were very good on paper but didn’t have the right leader to lead them to success.

So what makes both of them tick? I think it has got to do with one’s ego, mutual respect, self awareness, and interpersonal bonding. As long as these are in the right place, teams work wonders. And if not for these, things disintegrate!

As we enter an uncertain phase in our lives again with the rapidly escalating virus situation in India, these aspects become doubly important for us as citizens and as a society. Time to buckle up and play as a team to win this battle! In all the spheres we play in…