Dear Bob ...Just read your excellent Keep the Joint Running of 11/5, ("Taking the measure of IT professionals,") and your comments about teamwork reminded me of something:Why is it that so many managers confuse cheerleaders with team players? I liked your description of what team players do (align to a common purpose, trust each other, communicate well, and help each other out) -- excellent brief description.Che Dear Bob …Just read your excellent Keep the Joint Running of 11/5, (“Taking the measure of IT professionals,“) and your comments about teamwork reminded me of something:Why is it that so many managers confuse cheerleaders with team players? I liked your description of what team players do (align to a common purpose, trust each other, communicate well, and help each other out) — excellent brief description. Cheerleaders are full of encouraging comments and catchy phrases, and that’s usually the extent of it. In my experience, the cheerleaders are usually the politicians, good at looking good, but (usually) not very productive.I’d like to see your thoughts on this in KJR someday. I can’t think of a catchy ManagementSpeak translation, but maybe you can …– Cheerily lead Dear Pb …Well I certainly agree, cheerleaders are good at looking good. It’s part of the job description.I suppose one of these days what I should really write is an apology to all cheerleaders. Real cheerleaders are excellent athletes who work very hard at their trade. Unlike those in the corporate world to whom we apply the metaphor.If we were to apply the metaphor much further we might find ourselves concluding that corporate cheerleaders really are team players who contribute value. In theory at least, cheerleaders get the crowd riled up, which in turn helps energize the team on the field, which contributes to winning the game.I don’t know if it really works that way, but it is the idea. Enough of that. I think your point, and mine as well, is that cheerleading is an important role for both leaders and team members, but it’s an ancillary role, not the main event. Anyone who counts cheerleading as their most important contribution needs to gain some additional skills.– BobPowered by ScribeFire. Technology Industry