As fans, we may be drawn in by the best individual athletes, but nothing is as transcendent as watching the best teams. There are few things more captivating than watching a group of supremely talented individuals put their egos to the side and truly click as a collective. The World Cup put this on global display: The best teams don’t just compile talent — they look connected, with every player moving in rhythm, trusting one another, and making the game easier for everyone around them.

Our organizations consist of collections of teams as well. However, the most important team in our organizations — the executive team — often doesn’t function like a team at all. They’re groups of senior leaders who coordinate, share information and represent functions, but rarely operate as a true team. However, it is the executive team that drives the direction of our organizations, sets priorities and models the behaviors that cascade throughout the entire organization. The executive team is the organization’s leadership engine. When it functions well, strategy, culture and execution all accelerate. When it doesn’t, the effects ripple through every corner of the business.

There is an inherent tension that prevents the natural coalescence of an executive team. A chief marketing officer, for example, is part of two teams in the organization: the marketing team and the executive team. The same goes for a chief financial officer, a chief commercial officer and a chief people officer. The CMO will........

© Sports Business Journal