212° Teamwork

So I was watching my favorite pro sports franchise lose a must-win game on television last night. They’re out…they’re history…the season is over. “How in the world can that happen,” I ask myself, “with all the talent we have?” Then, the coach answers my question in a post-game interview: “We’re loaded with superstars, but today, we just didn’t work together…as a team.” What a loss – what a lesson.

Life, like many of the games in athletics, is a team “sport.” You have a collection of individuals who must work together to accomplish a common goal. While the players contribute in varying degrees, no one person can produce a victory on his or her own. Each member of the team has a role – a position. And each position has a variety of responsibilities: sometimes you shoot, sometimes you assist, sometimes you block…sometimes you’re in the spotlight, sometimes you’re in the trenches. And two things are for sure: 1) Everyone on the team ends up being an equal winner or an equal loser, and 2) Limelight-grabbing puck hogs don’t last very long.

Are you a team player at work? Do you give your best effort regardless of the role you play? Are you willing to do the things that are needed to help the group succeed? Do you work at being cooperative and communicating well with your team mates? Are you considerate of others? Do you climb the mountain, rather then taking short cuts? Do you accept and value others’ ideas – especially when those ideas are different from yours? Can you be counted on to carry your share of the load?

If your answers to the above questions are all “yes,” success is definitely in your future. More interested in only being the star? Just remember that even they get traded when teams lose!