What does Bruce ‘The Boss’ Springsteen know about teamwork? The short answer is he must know something, to have kept his band working successfully together for 50 years.

I just watched an interview that Bruce Springsteen gave in which he talked about what it was that had kept the band together for so long. It’s quite an achievement for any team let alone a rock and roll band where there are plenty of egos at play! This is what he had to say:

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

 “We’ve had a greater respect for the integrity of our ship than our personal grudges, and that’s why we’re still here. That has held for every band member and it will hold for as long as every band member feels like that. The integrity of our ship, its seaworthiness and the mission that we’re on takes precedence over personal grudges”.

And here’s why this is such a great take on how to keep teams healthy and functioning:

Respect for the Team Beats Everything Else

When you make the choice to commit to being in a team, you implicitly accept that the team entity is bigger than you and takes precedence over what goes on between its members. Good teams have respect for the team that goes above their own individual desires and problems.

Everyone On The Team Is Important

Bruce says that the respect for the team holds ‘as long as every band member feels that’. Teams are like a chain. They are mutually supportive things where if you take away one link, the chain breaks. Once one band member stops respecting the band, then the band doesn’t work as a team. The lesson for us all is how important it is to engage every single person on the team and ensure they are committed, happy and prepared to respect the team.

The Power of Metaphor

When I am coaching teams, I use metaphor to help people understand things that might initially appear to be too abstract or different for them to connect with. If I see something that is happening for the team, but because they are too involved in the problem to ‘see’ it, I ask questions like ‘if you were in a movie, what would the movie be?’ or ‘what would the weather forecast be for your team right now’?

People connect better with stories or more concrete things they can use as a comparison to what is happening for them. Then they understand and realization happens. It’s a very powerful concept. This is what Bruce has done here, using the metaphor of a ship on the high seas as a metaphor for his band. It’s descriptive and really easy to understand. Sometimes when you are stuck in your team, using metaphor is a great way to generate understanding.