2026 Schedule

In sports, the teams that win aren't the ones with the most talent but rather the ones with the most team chemistry. Sports teams have general managers, coaches, sports psychologists, scouts, and more doing everything they can to attain this magical phenomenon. Those that do, are wildly successful, even with lesser skill or talent. In every tv broadcast of championship games the commentators laud the team chemistry and effort put in by the staff to establish it. However, the concept of team chemistry is never mentioned in corporate leadership. Sure they talk about culture, engagement, and even have KPIs and metrics to show off but the result? A team that rarely reaches their potential, much less one that performs beyond their potential. They are missing what coaches and sports psychologists have known for years. On bad teams, the players play for themselves, on good teams the players play for the team, on great teams, the players play for each other. Team Chemistry wins. Team Chemistry isn't team spirit, it's not teamwork, nor is it having great relationships with your teammates, it's more, much more. It's a purpose-driven motivation and emotional synergy that manifests when people care about what their teammates care about, with authenticity, passion, and clarity.

I have a unique blend of experience and education; in 1997 I started my IT career as an entry level helpdesk technician, worked my way through support/engineering roles into various levels of leadership and I'm currently CIO. I hold a Master's (MBA) from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas. I've also coached basketball for 20 years with a bachelor's degree in Sport Coaching and Sports Psychology. This combination of technical experience, corporate leadership, coaching athletes, and education has brought about new insights, methods, and ideas that are missing in traditional IT and ITSM strategies/frameworks. I've enjoyed a lot of success employing these new methods. This Team Chemistry vs Customer Service approach has consistently resulted in better support/business outcomes and exceptional career growth for my teams. I will show the attendees how to foster team chemistry as a part of everyday life and activities. They will leave ready to equip their support teams with the tools to build team chemistry with each other AND the people they support. This is especially powerful for internal service desk/help desk teams.

I outline the what team chemistry is, and how to build it. I provide tools to lay the foundation and the techniques to build on top of it. The session demonstrates and contrasts the difference between traditional org charts, metrics, nomenclature, and even interactions and a new framework that builds team chemistry with clear decisive support metrics that don't undermine trust or create a culture of micromanagement.

Takeaway

1. A new leadership strategy that helps teams go beyond the potential of their talent.
2. A new set of vocabulary/terminology that fosters chemistry and trust.
3. A new way to measure what matters while aligning with the goal of building great team chemistry
4. A new untapped motivation and energy to coach their team to victory instead of managing it to compliance.