Here at DBIA’s National Headquarters, we’ve got Nats fever. Even if you’re not a baseball fan, you can’t help but be inspired by their teamwork, persistence, and resiliency.

As a long-time Nats fan, I’ve seen more than my share of seasons that, even though the talent seemed to be there, it just never really happened for them. But this team was clearly different. Over and over, what caught my attention were the repeated comments in post-game interviews like “we just have fun together,” “we care about each other as a team,” and “we trust each other to get the job done.”

I kept thinking, that sounds less like typical sports clichés and a lot more like the design-build teams we talk to each and every day. Isn’t this the core of any good team experience – that hard-to-define “secret sauce” that makes an OK team terrific?  Here’s an interesting take in Forbes from one expert who says the 2019 Washington Nationals team is the epitome of resilience.

 “Research shows that resilient teams go through a rather predictable cycle which looks like this: resilient teams (1) address problems quickly; (2) they sustain team cohesion (fractures in the team bond are rare); (3) they preserve valuable resources (not only tangible resources, but also mental and emotional resources); (4) which makes them able to bounce back quickly during stress and pressure; and (5) they stay ready to meet new challenges that arise.” …Paula Davis-Laack, CEO of the Stress and Resilience Institute

Trust, collaboration and team cohesion built on communication. Kinda sounds like Design-Build Done Right® put into play on the ballfield. By the way — did you know it also built the Nationals ballfield too?

by DBIA Strategic Communications Director and happy Nationals fan, Kim Wright.