Category Archives: Teamwork

Life is not a solo performance

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Life is not a solo performance. How and where can you collaborate with others to accomplish an important goal?

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Emma Day

Carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders is a task too big for anyone. This may be why the biggest sporting events involve teams working together on the common goal of winning. As spectators in the stands or even in a comfy chair watching TV, we feel the excitement of being part of the effort, especially when celebrating a victory.

Where in your life do you operate as a solo performer?

What is your experience of victory and defeat when you are the only one on the field?

How long do these feelings last?

Where in your world do you partner and collaborate with others on a common goal?

When did you last experience the acronym TEAM: Together Everyone Achieves More?

EXERCISE:

What areas of your life would being better together make the biggest difference?

Thrones no matter how pretty have only room for one

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“Thrones, no matter how pretty, have only room for one.”

—Mark Nepo, author of The Book of Awakening

Image from Unsplash by Nicholas Green

By the time this post reaches your inbox or social media feed, I have review it numerous times. My own reflection on this process points to the high percentage of these efforts directed towards one’s progress in our personal and professional communities.

Although I am all for the achievement of individual success somehow, I experience even more satisfaction and fulfillment when I’ve been a part of a group or team effort.

Consider sports as a good example. On the list below, notice the fan base of popularity of team sports.

There don’t seem to be many stadiums built for individual sporting events. We all like to be part of a winning endeavor, even if we never get on the field.

SPORT # of Fans SPORT # of Fans
Soccer/Football 4 billion Cricket 2.5 billion
Hockey 2 billion Volleyball 900 million
Basketball 825 million Baseball 500 million

EXERCISE:

Where are you engaged in an individual endeavor versus some form of group achievement?

Where is the “TEAM” concept of Together Everyone Achieves More truer for you?

“A party without cake is just a meeting.”

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“A party without cake is just a meeting.”

—Julia Child, 20th Century American cooking teacher, author, and TV personality

Image from Unsplash by Caitlyn de Wild

How many meetings do you attend each day? How many of them are in person or over some form of technology?

How would you rate your experience of these events in terms of both productivity and enjoyment?

If you are like many of us the title of Patrick Lencioni’s classic book, Death by Meeting may sum up a good majority of your feelings.

Today more than ever companies are looking to attract, retain, and excite their team members, and the old ways of doing things by just offering competitive compensation and reasonable benefits won’t cut it in the long run.

EXERCISE:

How can and will you pursue a work environment with more of a celebratory and engaging culture?

Please don’t forget the cake!

“Revolutions are ideal times for soldiers with a lot of wit – and the courage to act.”

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“Revolutions are ideal times for soldiers with a lot of wit – and the courage to act.”

Napoleon Bonaparte, 18th Century French Emperor and Military Leader

Image from Unsplash by Jessica Felicio

I recently saw a video keynote speech by David Burkus on the topic of how great teams find a purpose around which to rally.

In addition to using excellent examples of well-known organizations to make his points, he also used a few historical samples of powerful revolutions that galvanized communities, countries, and the world.

He suggests that we can all dig deeper than the core values or mission statements hanging in organization headquarters or above executive desks to discover our sacred values worth fighting for.

We are all allies in the sacred crusade to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, and combat racism around the world.

EXERCISE:

Where and how are you and others soldiers in your various communities bringing your wit and courage to act in these fights? How can and will you rally even more allies in these efforts?

“You cannot antagonize and influence at the same time.”

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“You cannot antagonize and influence at the same time.”

—J.S. Knox, Associate Professor of Sociology, Liberty University

Image from Unsplash by Josh Calabrese

Have you ever participated in a team building session with your professional colleagues? One of the goals of such exercises is to gain a greater understanding of each other, and to provide constructive input toward one another’s leadership styles and effectiveness.

The assessment I use for team building sessions categorizes individuals into one of four potential styles, depending on the situation. The four styles are:

  1. The Team Leader, who focuses on both people and results
  2. The Taskmaster, who focuses solely on results
  3. The Social Worker, who focuses solely on people
  4. The Benchsitter, who focuses on neither

EXERCISE:

How would you—or better yet, your associates—describe your leadership style? How might you and your colleagues—maybe even your family members—rate each other as it relates to being an influencer versus an antagonist?

Friday Review of Posts on Teamwork

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FRIDAY REVIEW: TEAMWORK

What are your thoughts and beliefs about teamwork? Here are a few teamwork-related posts you may have missed. Click to read the full message.

 

“Teamwork is the ability to direct individual accomplishment toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.”

 

 

 

 

“A single leaf working alone provides no shade.”

 

 

 

 

“Vital to every operation is cooperation.”

 

 

 

 

Drop the hammer and pick up the shovel

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“Drop the hammer and pick up the shovel.”

—attributed to J.A. Dever

Image of a shovel full of dirt

Image from Flickr by Daniel R. Blume

If you are a student of leadership and management theory, I’m sure you are fully aware that the old school “Command and Control” Taskmaster, or in this case, “Drop the Hammer” approach to success is history.

With the intense competition for talent, organizations and their leaders must create collaborative and cooperative cultures wherein each employee can develop and contribute in a meaningful way to remain engaged. Without the side-by-side pursuit of individual and organizational achievement, many top people will seek their futures elsewhere.

EXERCISE:

Where would more of a “Pick up the Shovel,” team leader approach to people and results be just the ticket for you and your organization to thrive today, and well into the future?

The World Must Learn to Work Together

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“The world must learn to work together, or finally it will not work at all.”

—Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States

Image of a team

Image from OD4pic

As part of my preliminary discover process, two of the questions I use to determine the potential value of a coaching relationship are:

  1. What is working and going well in your personal and professional life?
  2. What is not working or going as you wish in your personal and professional life?

Based on the answers provided, a customized coaching relationship can be used to support going from good to great, or from not good to substantially better.

Perhaps no single factor impacts these areas more than the ability to create mutually trusting relationships and work toward common objectives.

EXERCISE:

Given the state of the world and specifically your worlds, what efforts and actions can and will you take to work more effectively and successfully with others?

Vital to Every Operation is Cooperation

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“Vital to every operation is cooperation.”

—Frank Tyger, Editorial Cartoonist

Image of a team

Image from BK Forex

What do elite Navy Seals, your favorite sports team, and a top surgical team have in common?

They are all examples of the impact and synergy of cooperation.

In these situations, the acronym TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) couldn’t be more appropriate and true.

I experienced this personally in the writing of my book, The Quotable Coach: Daily Nuggets of Personal Wisdom. Those helping me pull off this project included hundreds of people such as family, friends, editors, loyal readers, and of course, the insightful minds of those quoted.

EXERCISE:

Where is a booster shot of cooperation and teamwork required to pull off some vital operation in your world?