For those of you who know me, you know that I am a diehard hockey fan. You see, I’m Canadian born and raised, and so while you may take the girl out of Canada, you definitely can’t take the hockey out of her blood. Whenever I travel to my hometown, I always try to take in a hockey game. My mom turned 70 this past week and had never been to a game. I will use any opportunity that I can to go and watch the Canucks play. When I traveled for her birthday, I bought tickets as my gift for her. Now, only the lower bowl at center ice will do because I like to see the action up close. Even when the Canucks come to New Jersey, our entire family goes to the game, and we sit behind the bench. This year our team is doing well, so the game was packed.
For many years, my Vancouver Canucks had not been doing well. Long gone were the glory days of the 1994 Canucks, with Pavel Bure, Trevor Linden, and Cliff Ronning that made it to the finals and suffered a heartbreaking loss to the New York Rangers in seven games. Or the painful 2011 finals against the Boston Bruins, where our poor Sedin twins got soooo close, but not close enough, to the glorious Stanley Cup. For the past 13 years, we have been “rebuilding” and investing in young talent to grow into the team of our future. My hope has always been that once in my lifetime, my team will win the Cup. I’m not asking for a dynasty, just one Stanley Cup. So, this year, as they are doing well, and there is a glimmer of hope, I had to go to a game.
Now, I’ve seen games in many different cities – it’s my thing. If you are watching a game at Madison Square Garden, perhaps do not bring young children. The language can get a little rough. The Prudential Center in New Jersey is good, family-friendly, but not full of excitement. But when you travel to Canada, you must go to a hockey game. It is religion there. The energy in the arena is tingling. From the moment that you sit in your seat until the final buzzer, you don’t even realize how time is flying. The national anthem, and the way that they honor our countries, with the flag being passed over the crowd – it’s inspiring.
Did you know that in hockey, they don’t just give a point to the goal scorer, there are up to two assists given with every goal? You see, in hockey, they understand that it’s not just the person that puts the puck into the back of the net, it’s the people that helped get it there that also matter. No one person can do it alone, they need the assist. It’s why they will usually have consistent lines, a center with a right wing and a left wing that have developed a rapport so whenever they go on the ice – they go together. They’re a unit. It’s a team. The same goes with a pair of defensemen, they build trust with one another, and can sense where the other is on the ice. They know someone’s got their back. Back in the days, yes, I’m aging myself but the 90s were the days, you would have your enforcers who would protect your goal scorers, in our case that was Gino Odjick who would protect Pavel Bure. Everybody had a role within the team. Trevor Linden was our Captain, and Cliff Ronning could pass the puck like no one else. Kirk McLean was a goalie and a leader. It was a TEAM, and you knew it. What does this tell us?
Good teams, and good organizations, are like hockey teams. The winning teams are the ones that understand the value of teamwork. Where they’re not afraid to pass the puck in order to get the goal. They recognize the puck passer and acknowledge the assist. They understand that there are grinders on the teams, that get the team through the penalty kill when they are a man down. There’s no one person that’s trying to be the goal scorer and outshine everyone else, it’s a scoring line with team members that are working to help each other. Those people that are cheering individuals on within your organization, while helping to mentor and support them in the background so that they can get the job done. At the end of every game, the entire team comes out onto the ice to recognize each other, win or lose.
Whether it’s a project or a presentation, it’s not about who presents it, it’s about all the people that worked in the background to get it done. Recognizing the assist is key to good leadership. No one gets it done alone, and making sure that we acknowledge and promote teamwork in our leadership teams is key to building a winning team. So, everyone, please pray for my Canucks this year, fingers crossed this is the year, but also, think about your internal team like a hockey team. Understand who your goal scorers, leaders, passing champions, grinders, and enforcers are—appreciate who they are and the role they play, and most importantly, remember to recognize their assist in building your organizations.
