Cory Lebovitz

If I could be perfectly honest with you – I dislike the New England Patriots. Perhaps that is because I am a Falcon’s fan. Or maybe deep down it is comes from a place of envy – because I have watched them experience such great success over the last 15 years.

Whether you like the Patriots or not one thing is undeniable – they are an elite team. They have sustained dominance in the NFL for a number of years, which has caused them to be a polarizing team. Some people love them – others hate them. While you will not find me rooting for the Patriots; I do respect their results. Specifically the work done by head coach Bill Belichick has led to an incredible run for that team.

I recently saw a brief interview with coach Belichick where he notes the tenants of his leadership style. He briefly spoke into 4 things that he requires of his players – 4 things that I believe have led to his team experiencing such success. I’m not sure if there are other ways to build an elite team – but I do know encouraging these 4 things on your team are bound to create a successful team.

Here are the 4 marks of an elite team:

• Do your Job – Working with a team of people requires some level of coordination and trust. You have to trust that the person next to you is disciplined and responsible to tend to the right things. For each player on your team the charge is simple – “do your job” – know what your lane of responsibility is and tend to it. (Click to tweet) Be a teammate who people can count on to do the right things at the right time.
• Be Attentive – When you are “on” be aware of what is happening around you. Elite teams are not necessarily made up of a bunch of all-star players. An elite team is often made up of players who are willing to take advantage of every opportunity (Click to tweet) – which means you have to be attentive to what is happening around you at any given time.
• Pay attention to details – The difference between good teams, great teams and elite teams is not necessarily about direction or vision. Sometimes it is the smallest of details that can have the largest impact. It is easy to give attention to the “big rock” tasks on your team – but elite teams give equal level of attention to those small and simple details that can make or break you.
• Put the team first – To be a part of an elite team you have to care more about the team than you do about yourself. An elite team might have some stand out players – but those players care more about the team stats before their own stats.

The good news for all of us is that no matter our level of training, skill or experience we can work hard to do these 4 things and help our team to be something great.