The highlight of the first official day of IoT Evolution Expo for many attendees was the eagerly awaited talk by Coach Joe Gibbs, formerly of the Washington Redskins, where he won a Super Bowl ring, and now head of Joe Gibbs Racing.
Gibbs held the crowd captivated while he spoke about the importance of remembering that all business is about the people who make it up. “We’re all on teams,” he said.
Football and business have much in common, as Gibbs sees it. Both rely upon intense competition, require sales, necessitate pleasing the customer (or fan) and operate at a fast pace. To accomplish all of these goals, a business or sports enterprise will have to operate as a team, he said.
“To be on a team, all the players have to set individual goals aside for the betterment of the team,” he said. Instead, define goals for members of the team that can be achieved in short order, and make sure they know expectations and that they’ll be measured against those goals.
“In business, the problem is sometimes we have people who aren’t being measured against goals, so they have no incentive to compete,” Gibbs said. “Instead, define goals for the shortest time span possible, and give rewards in front of peers and people will compete.”
Teambuilding is the secret to business building, according to Gibbs, and it seems that the IoT also needs a team—engineers, developers, thinkers and standard bearers. Let’s all get on the team.
“Communicate your game plan,” Gibbs said. “Be good teachers.”