Looking for a Super Bowl-style win in business? It all begins with developing your team to work together with near-flawless cohesion, commitment, and communication.

You’ve spent anywhere from months to years building your team. However, having the right players is far from a guarantee that they will work seamlessly together. In reality, no team environment is perfect. The starting point for building a strong team? Communication.

The Communication Breakdown: The Biggest Barrier to Success

In every work environment, there will be team members who lack the communication skills their colleagues need. The most common issue? Under-communication.

Whether it’s done to hide a mistake, secure an opportunity, or simply due to ignorance of what and when to communicate, the result is the same: It damages the team and, in turn, the company.

To illustrate this, let’s step away from cubicles and conference rooms and into a metaphor that has stood the test of time: football.

If a quarterback kept his play choice secret in hopes of running the ball alone, the game would fall apart. If a head coach withheld valuable game-time information from his defensive coordinator out of pettiness, the game would fall apart. If a player hid an injury instead of admitting it to his coach, the game would fall apart.

The result? A team that cannot function effectively. Players who shirk responsibility, act selfishly, or push through pain at the expense of the team ultimately weaken the entire unit. Championship-winning teams, on the other hand, value communication and trust above all else. The Super Bowl winners and state championship ring-wearers succeed because they put differences aside and focus on the good of the team.

What Does Executing the Perfect Play Look Like?

Part of it is removing ego. Before Super Bowl LIX, Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid told his team to “look right, look left, and play for the person next to them.” This commitment to others, rather than self, is a critical piece of ensuring a broad, team-focused perspective.

In the workplace, communication must be even more intentional than executing a football play. And executing the perfect play is possible when you master four key steps to communicating thoroughly. While these steps take longer to execute than a quick pass by Patrick Mahomes or Jalen Hurts, they yield results with a longer-lasting impact.

Four Steps to Effective Communication

1. Give the Facts – This is the common foundation of workplace communication. It relies on core data points like “who, what, when, where, why, and how.” But as critical as the facts are, on their own they are limiting, especially in hybrid or remote environments where relationships are typically weaker.
2. Explain Your Reasons – Go a step deeper by explaining the “why” behind your directive. Providing context—why something is being requested, why it matters, and why it must be done now—helps ensure alignment and understanding.
3. Share Opinions, Ideas, and Thoughts – Now, move beyond giving concrete information to sharing personal perspectives. Offering insight into your thought process fosters clarity, reduces confusion, and promotes alignment. It also creates opportunities for collaboration and innovation.
4. Gather Input – No communication is complete if it is one-sided. Actively solicit feedback, encourage questions, and verify understanding. This ensures that directives were clearly understood, the rationale was accepted, and that those receiving the information are equipped to act on it effectively.

The Winning Formula: Trust, Cohesion, and Commitment

Good communication builds trust, fosters cohesion, and strengthens team commitment. Ultimately, it creates the foundation for success.

Whether on the field or in the office, assembling a group of talented individuals is only the first step. Cultivating a smoothly functioning team requires time, effort, and intentional communication. But building a team rich in great communication and low in conflict is a highly achievable goal. And just like in football, it’s the teams that execute their communication strategy flawlessly that achieve lasting success.