FILIPINOS who have achieved global prominence have been mostly individuals, not teams. The first and only Philippine gold was won at the Tokyo Olympics (2021) for the women’s weightlifting event. Other Olympic silver medals have been won in men’s boxing. All these honors have gone to individuals.
Outstanding performances in the international arena too have often been solo flights. Singular successes in bowling, ballet, piano, billiards, singing, tennis, chess, taekwondo, and musical theater have been so notable that one can quickly name Filipino stars in these international fields. This includes those born and raised abroad whose ethnicity is Filipino.
As a country, we seem to thrive almost exclusively in solo flights. What is it about singular pursuits that allows the Filipino to be globally competitive? Are there cultural traits in our national DNA that make success possible only in individual contests?
A solo talent seems easier to discover through contests or auditions. Development and training require less investment in time and money to achieve a high level of competitiveness. Sponsorships too are more accessible. If funding is not available locally, a change of country representation or even citizenship is possible. Rewarding solo winners with cash prizes and celebrity endorsement of products is quite straightforward.
Coaching in a solo sport is usually just one-on-one, or maybe even three-on-one, even including a demanding parent or partner. There is only one individual to discipline and motivate. Unlike team sports where some players are benched, given fewer minutes, or designated as go-to leaders, the solo competitor knows he has no other person to depend on but himself.
Team competitions deal with more variables. Competing as a team is culturally more challenging.
Even with motivational sessions (There is no “I” in team) to force the group to think as one, there are distractions. In a basketball team, for example, there are bound to be inequalities with the players, not limited to playing time. What about the pay premium bestowed on “stars” who don’t always measure up to their hype and price? Of course, this inequality affects teamwork — Let’s see if you’re worth 20 times more than me.
Envy is seldom discussed as a factor in analyzing team chemistry. Motivation and incentives are focused on individuals while the game itself depends on teamwork and how each player contributes to the win.
The phenomenon of solo flights is not limited to competitive sports and the performing arts. It applies as well to business.
Corporate compensation is mostly focused on individual performance. Variable pay is bestowed on executives meeting or exceeding their Key Results Areas (KRA). The leader is supposed to then evaluate his team and give his own individual incentives from some assigned pie, also depending on performance of the unit.
Companies too are identified with individual CEOs or the designated scions of dynastic business families. In business, as in religious groups and civic clubs, the cult of personality elevates the leader to solo prominence. Companies are identified as extensions of the leader’s identity.
The identification of a company or even a conglomerate with a single person obscures the concept of teamwork. Even succession plans are reserved only for the leader, not the team. Thus, the burden of designating a successor falls on the one being succeeded. Is it any wonder that prioritizing this process is often deferred? (Let’s focus on inventory management.)
A team sport like basketball obliges a marquee player to depend on teammates to receive a pass and make the buzzer-beating winning shot that will be replayed over and over for the fans and coaches. While an assist pass is credited too, the clutch shot for the winning margin is accorded star status. What if the game winning shooter is not the designated star player? Are tantrums far behind?
Are team sports and our inability to work out roles and achieve cohesiveness, even accepting fewer minutes and being consigned to a small role a liability in achieving success? Is the solo flight our only chance as a culture to excel?
Maybe it is stretching it a bit to say that nationalism, or a love and willingness to sacrifice for the country’s good, requires a team culture. Solo flights (What’s in it for me?) and walkouts to avoid accountability (not my problem) may be pulling us down as a nation. It’s time to form a national team… and not just for basketball.
Tony Samson is chairman and CEO of TOUCH xda
