The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork: Embrace Them and Empower Your Team

How Several Teams within the Same Company Can Function as a Whole

In his book, The 17^th Indisputable Laws of Teamwork, John C. Maxwell emphasizes the importance of teamwork and argues that working as part of the team is vital for the success of any project and business.

But team work can be perceived at two different levels: the team as a company, with several subdivisions working together to achieve profit, and the team as a small business or a department within a larger business, where individuals with separate responsibilities work together to ensure the efficiency and proper functioning of that small business or department within the larger business.

While it is easy to see why individuals members of the same team should get along and cooperate for the greater good, many employees and even members of the management fail to see why it is important for the various departments within the same business to cooperate and strive towards the same common end.

John C. Maxwell covers all these aspects related to teamwork, several of his 17 indisputable laws referring to it. Here are the five laws that are more representative for teamwork as collaboration between various departments within the same company.

The Law of the Big Picture (2^nd in Maxwell’s Book) – Each Individual and Each Subdivision Should See Beyond Their Basic Role

Many examples can be given to support this law. Let us consider the case of a goods manufacturer. The production department receives drawings, patterns, precise measurements and designs based on which they are supposed to manufacture the end products.

However, there are numerous cases when, starting from the existing designs, the production managers have succeeded to come up with new solutions, following the same principles and quality standards, but involving lower costs.

In a clothes factory for example, when new models are sent for mass production, they are usually accompanied by precise patterns and layouts for cutting the fabrics, meant to ensure that the minimum amount of fabric is used.

Many times, the cutting department succeeds to rearrange the patterns in such a way as to use even less fabric and obtain the products exactly as they were designed, but with lower initial costs. While these savings bring no immediate benefits for the cutting department, but may prove time consuming, they mean a lot for the clothes company, which can now produce the same clothes at lower costs or make more profit. 

In the same line of thought, a customer service representative could easily invent some excuse or blame the re-seller for the malfunction of the product a buyer complains about, rather than to replace the damaged component or spend hours on the phone with the buyer, troubleshooting the product, but, while doing so would save him some time and brainstorming, it would be in the detriment of the manufacturing company, as, on one hand, it would affect the reputation of the product and, on the other hand, it would chase re-sellers away. 

However, in order for this law to be followed, it is important for each team member and company employee to receive proper training, to have the company goals clearly stated and to be taught how to pursue them, even in the detriment of his apparent direct interest. 

The Law of the Chain (5^th in the Book) – A Team/Company Is as Strong as Its Weakest Link

Let us consider a manufacturing company as the chain, and its design, sales and customer service departments as the links. You could say that a well designed product is easy to sell or that it should not need servicing, but that is far from the truth.

You could have a great design, but poorly trained sales personnel, unable to emphasize its strength to the target customers. That is usually the result of a poor communication between the design and the sales department.

The developers of the end products should take the time to explain in detail how their creation works and how it can help the buyer, in order to make sure the sales representatives rely on accurate information and do not mislead the potential buyers.

Without adequate information and understanding of the design, the sales representatives will either fail to sell the product or will misinform the buyer and influence the company’s image in a negative way.

The communication between the two above mentioned departments and the customer service representatives is just as important, because, without accurate information and proper knowledge of the products’ particularities, the customer service representatives cannot help buyers solve their technical problems, which, in turn, will compromise the reputation of the company and make it more difficult for the sales representatives to close deals.

In a company, each individual and each team play their valuable part. Success leaves no room for error, miscommunication or weaknesses. All parts of the whole should fulfill their role and work together to close and sustain as many sales as possible and consolidate the company’s reputation.

The Law of the Bad Apple (Maxwell’s no. 8) – The Team Can Be Ruined by Rotten Attitudes

This law is closely connected to the one discussed above. Just like a weak member brings about the weakness of the whole team, the improper attitude or behavior of one member of the team or department within a company will threaten or ruin the success of the whole company.

Teamwork leaves no room for envy or competition between the members. When that happens, the goals of the team as a whole are compromised. With an irresponsible or poorly managed designed department, it does not matter how effective the sales team or the customer representative team is, in the end, the buyers will hear about the poor concept behind the products they sell or troubleshoot and stop buying.

In the same line of thought, no matter how good a product is, if it is not marketed and serviced properly, it will never reach its potential as far as sales figures are concerned. Thus, instead of the design department trying to show that their work is more important than that of the sales representatives, or the customer service representatives trying to emphasize design problems where there are none, the parties should work as a team, with the purpose of manufacturing the best products, selling them in as high numbers as possible and servicing them as well as possible.

The Law of Countability (no. 9) – Team Members and Company Departments Should Support One Another When the Need Arises

No matter how well organized a company is and how well trained and experienced its staff, bad, unpredicted things can always happen. The key to overcoming them and minimizing their effects is for the various departments within the company to be able to rely on one another and support one another when in need.

For example, by providing statistics of the various problems signaled by the buyers regarding the products manufactured by the company, the customer service department can help the design department improve the original concept and eliminate flaws.

By providing accurate and updated presentations to the sales department, the design department can help them stay informed and make the products known to potential customers.

By telling the buyers exactly what to expect from the products offered, the sales representatives can prevent many calls to the customer service and, thus, save their colleagues some time and resources. When problems arise, the various departments should back one another up and not throw the blame.

The Law of Identity (13 Is the Lucky Number) – A Team/Company Is Defined by the Values It Shares

Returning to the example above, the more values and goals the various departments within a company share, the better they work together and make that company prosper. This means that any company aiming to excel in its market niche should be built around a common set of values.

These values should make the core of the professional training in every team and department, no matter its specific, and should be more important than the immediate goals of that team or department.

Indeed, the design department is expected to come up with new, improved concepts regularly, the sales representatives are expected to enlarge the clients portfolio and the customer service representatives are expected to answer the buyer’s needs and questions.

However, when doing so, all these parties should keep in mind the long term, general goals, and not just their local targets, because:

• A new concept is no good if it cannot be turned into a useful and durable product,
• High sales in one month are no good if the customers are misinformed and end up regretting their acquisitions,
• Providing incomplete or inaccurate answers to the customers having problems with the products they bought is no good, if their problems persist and they cannot make the most of the products and recommend them to their connections.

Of course, there are other important laws among the 17 promoted by John C. Maxwell that can be applied at this level as well, like the Law of the High Morale, the Law of the Edge or the Law of Communication.

At a closer look, however, we notice that the laws are, in fact, various approaches or interpretations to the same basic idea: no matter if we talk about a small family business, a medium enterprise or a corporation, the key to success is teamwork, meaning communication and joined efforts for the greater good.

Summary of John C. Maxwell's The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork

Dr. John C. Maxwell is the renowned author of The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, his latest creation being The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork, published in 2001, by Thomas Nelson Inc., in Nashville, Tennessee, and covering 288 pages.

The central idea of the book is that great things can only be achieved when working in team, but a reliable, winning team, can only be built if certain principles (the 17 indisputable laws) are understood and followed.

No matter the goal, in order to attain it, one should invest in one’s team above everything else, in order to make sure that the end product will benefit from the necessary ideas, resources, energy and perspectives.

The 17 laws that the author proposes to the reader may be summarized as follows:

1. The Law of Significance - No matter how well prepared, smart and resourceful one may be, one will obtain better performances as part of a team. The idea is supported with several examples, the most resounding achievements in human history being the result of team work.
2. The Law of the Big Picture – The final goal of the team should always prevail over the role of the individual. Those who think otherwise simply do not see the big picture. This is why only good teams can reach important goals, although individual accomplishments may give satisfaction to anyone.
3. The Law of the Niche – In a team, every member has his well established place, where his contribution could not be matched by that of another member. It is the duty of the team leader to find the right place for everyone in the team.
4. The Law of Mount Everest – The greater the challenge, the more important it is for it to be dealt with by a team. Every goal needs a team tailored according to its importance. A new goal may require adding key members to the team, removing ineffective members and even changing the leader.
5. The Law of the Chain – The team’s strength is directly proportional with that of its weakest member. The weaker members of the team can always be the cause of failure, making the other members be less effective and even questioning the ability of the team leader.
6. The Law of the Catalyst – The secret of the winning teams are the valuable members, who can change the course of things and play a decisive part in achieving the final goal. The catalyst, or the person who can make the difference, is the one who is more intuitive, communicative, talented, passionate, creative, generous, responsible, and influential.
7. The Law of the Compass – In order to maintain their direction and their confidence, the team members need a vision. Great achievements require great visions, otherwise, the energy of the team may be dissipated into projects dictated by individual agendas that would work one against the other.
8. The Law of The Bad Apple – The wrong attitude of certain members can ruin the whole team and prevent it from attaining its goals. This is why rivalry between the members of a team, petty jealousy, excessive ego, inability of recognizing one’s errors, unjustified criticism, etc., are always counterproductive.
9. The Law of Countability – Team members must rely on one another when the need arises. It will help them overcome obstacles easier and gain more confidence, both in themselves and in the other members of the team.
10. The Law of the Price Tag – In order to attain its goal, every team needs to pay a price. There are teams who ignore the price of success and teams who refuse to pay it. These teams will never be successful. Time, sacrifice, commitment, unselfishness and personal development are jut a few examples of the prices a team (through its members) will have to pay to attain its goals.
11. The Law of the Scoreboard – Adjustments can be made when the teams know exactly where they stand. The scoreboard is an essential element for this, because it allows the understanding of the path the team needs to follow in order to reach its objectives, it allows evaluations, decision making, correcting mistakes and rethinking strategies.
12. The Law of the Bench – Good teams always have backup solutions, in this case members able to play several parts and cover the responsibilities of others. This way, if one member is not effective, he/she can be easily replaced.
13. The Law of Identity – Common goals strengthen and bind the team. Organizational values determine and guide the behavior of a team the same way individual behaviors are influenced by personal values. Team values must be realized and assumed by each member in order for the team to succeed.
14. The Law of Communication – The results of the team depend on the way its members interact. The better the communication between them, the closer they cooperate, the better the results will be and the easier the goal will be attained.
15. The Law of the Edge - The leaders are the ones who can make the difference between success and failure or between two teams that are equally talented. The members represent the force of the team, the vision traces the direction they should follow and the work ethic ensures the proper environment for the actions to be taken.
16. The Law of High Morale – Nothing hurts when you are winning. Teams with high morale can fight almost any challenge they face, because mobilization is at its maximum and each teammate knows exactly what he/she has to do. The reward will be worth all the effort and sacrifice along the way.
17. The Law of Dividends – The most profitable investments are those made in your own team. The time, money and effort every team member brings in when pursuing the common goal are not wasted resources, but will pay off sooner or later.

Every law is thoroughly explained and sustained with several examples, those presented as short anecdotes making the salt and pepper of the book. The language is simple and accessible, transmitting the message loud and clear: teamwork is essential no matter the goal or the circumstances.

John C. Maxwell’s work can be a starting point for any salesmen, not necessarily a leader, because, perhaps more than in any other field, in sales, team work can make the difference between successful and failed transactions.

Just think of every sale as the result of team work. The product was sold because, on one hand, the team that manufactured it used quality materials, an innovative design and met safety standards.

Then, the marketing department designed the package and ensured the publicity needed for the product to draw the attention of potential resellers. Last but not least, the reseller is the one sending the message of the manufacturer and praising his work to the end-user.

With a poor quality product, the salesperson would certainly not reach the success quality ensures, and, without good salespersons, the manufacturers would never be properly rewarded for their work. 

The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork are a must read for every salesperson. It teaches one to:

• Accept one’s place and responsibilities as part of the company;
• Accept the merits of others and contribute to attaining the company’s goal, even in the detriment of one’s short term interests;
• Follow rules and abide by the team’s ethics;
• Acknowledge the role of the leader and follow the direction imposed;
• Identifying weaknesses within the team and developing a backup plan, finding replacements or solutions.

The list may continue, but the basic idea is that every salesperson has something to learn from this book, and, if there were a list of must read books, John C. Maxwell’s work should certainly be on one of the top positions. 

Do you need a book summary or review, or perhaps an eBook written from scratch? Email me at mihaela.c.olaru@gmail.com and I will be happy to do it for you!