Team Talk: More Than Just a Huddle

From RCB to your AI assistant, what it really means to play (and win) together

I’ve been spending time lately wearing two hats.

The first is my coaching hat of both doing the work and learning new skills through the ICF Team Coaching certification journey (ACTC, if you enjoy collecting professional acronyms). The second is the multi-coloured hat I wear every day—as a team member in various life roles: at work, in the family, in partnerships, in friendships. Always part of some team, whether I realise it or not.

One core principle of the team coaching model is to treat the team as one entity. A single living, breathing organism with a shared brain, shared goals, shared energy. It’s a beautiful concept. Elegant, holistic, and grounded in systems thinking.

But then I look at sports. And I wonder.

A Team of One, or Eleven Playing As One?

When we talk about a cricket team or a football team, it rarely feels like ‘one entity.’ We know ‘the team had a bad day,’ but we say, ‘Rohit got out too early’ or ‘Messi carried the whole team.’ My beloved RCB is finally topping the table, after years of giving us fans heartache every season. And yet, you have heard things like, ‘Faf led brilliantly,’ or ‘DK turned the game with that cameo.’ or “Siraj gave us the breakthrough.’ [Wait…we let go of them all?!]

We rarely say, ‘The team played well.’ Ironically, we say it sarcastically to mean they tried but fell short. We zoom in on the individuals. The team sounds like solo artists jamming at different tempos—until, suddenly, it all clicks. And then it’s magic.

We see the team through its individuals.

And yet, when they win, it feels like one thing. One team. One heartbeat.

In the world of professional sports, the team is both a collective and a collage of brilliant individuals. You look to a Dhoni for cool-headed leadership, a Harmanpreet for sheer grit, or a Smriti Mandhana for match-turning elegance. Their stories, stats, and styles are celebrated individually, and yet, their greatness often hinges on what they unlock in the people around them.

Now, contrast that with how we view teams in corporate or life settings. The moment you enter a meeting with the subject Team Huddle, you can almost hear the collective sigh. The ‘team’ may be more of a calendar construct than a living, breathing unit. There’s often no shared scoreboard, no locker-room rallying cry, and sometimes, no shared goal either. Just a bunch of people dragging sticky notes across a virtual board.

So what makes a team… well, a team?

The Myth of the Shared Goal

The kinds of teams we are part of in life don’t always look like the office org chart.

• A husband and wife - are they a team?

• A family of four? Surely a team, but is dinner the shared goal?

• Two startup founders? Yes, but what happens when ideas and goals start to diverge?

• A manager and their direct report. Is that a team or a forced hierarchy?

It seems like the idea of a team is not just about structure, but intention. If you’ve ever tried managing a cross-functional team, a dinner plan with extended family, or a startup with a co-founder, you’ll know: just because we’re grouped together doesn’t mean we’re aligned.

We need a shared goal. And even more importantly, a shared understanding of that goal.

Sometimes, the shared goal is clear and visible: win the match, close the deal, get the toddler to eat lunch without theatrics. Other times, the goal is assumed, or worse, silently contested. One team member wants visibility, another wants harmony, a third just wants fewer meetings. Are we a team if our definitions of ‘winning’ are completely different?

I’ve seen teams where everyone is excellent but pulling in slightly different directions. I’ve also seen teams where one person is struggling, but the collective lifts them up.

Two People Can Be a Team

Take a married couple—probably the most complex team structure to comprehend. Shared responsibilities? Yes. Shared goals? Hopefully. But how often do we check in on that? Or ask, ‘Hey, are we still moving in the same direction, or are you heading for the land of Netflix and I’m sailing toward the Isle of Home Renovation Projects?’

Same goes for co-founders. Or manager-reportee relationships. Or parents and teenagers negotiating screen time.

Teams aren't just built on shared cubicles or project deadlines. They’re built on purpose. And more importantly, on conversations that re-align that purpose when life inevitably shifts the goalpost.

So maybe that’s the secret: shared purpose and also shared language, shared rituals, shared accountability. The glue.

Which brings me to a what-if...

Can AI Be a Team Member?

You’re the human with the EQ, the anxiety that thrives in chaos, the coffee addiction. The AI is consistent, tireless, and occasionally unhinged in its responses. But give it a prompt, some context, and a little coaching and voila, you’re collaborating.

So maybe the rules of teaming are evolving.

Maybe a team is any two or more entities that work together toward a shared outcome, with mutual respect, adaptation, and feedback. Yes, that includes your AI writing assistant who helps you prepare for a client pitch or updates your grocery list.

Can you and your favourite AI tool be a team?

Do we have a shared goal? Possibly. The tool is quite agreeable.

Are we aligned on what success looks like? Hopefully.

Can we communicate well, adapt together, learn together? Work in progress!

Where do we draw the boundary of “team”?

So… Who’s On Your Team?

Maybe your team isn’t the one listed on your company’s org chart.

Maybe your team is the three colleagues you always bounce ideas off. Maybe it’s your partner who reminds you to breathe before a big presentation. Maybe it’s the barista who hands you your double shot every morning and says, “You’ve got this.”

And maybe it’s a new kind of team forming in front of us. One that includes machines, systems, workflows and the very human magic that connects them all.

The Team is the Work

Whether you’re a coach, a founder, a friend, or a family member, ask yourself:

• Do we have a shared goal?

• Do we know how to talk about that goal when it shifts?

• Do we make space for individual brilliance and collective effort?

Because no matter what framework you follow, be it ICF coaching, Agile boards, Mood boards, or World Cup winning strategies: the team is the work.

And when it works, it’s magic. Or feels magical.

Want to build better communication within your team? Let’s talk about team coaching or facilitation—reach out today.