No “I” in Teamwork
“There’s no “I” in Teamwork”.
You may have heard this quote before. But is it true? There’s another quote attributed to Michael Jordan: “There is no “I” in teamwork. There is “I” in win”. (If you don’t know who Michael Jordan is, the NBA website calls him “the greatest basketball player of all time.” His biography is extensive and impressive).
I believe there is truth in both statements that can be discovered in an extraordinary statement of Hillel the Elder, one of the most important sages in Jewish history. He says, “If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, then what am I? And if not now, when?”
The beauty of his statement is that we can apply this to all areas of our lives on a daily basis, so we can live more authentically, vibrantly and successfully.
“If I am not for myself, then who will be for me?”
There is a story about a man who joined a school for spiritual growth where humility was one of the first necessary first steps. After a few days, he acted and behaved in the most humble of ways. One of the older students was heard commenting, “Look at the big shot… He’s only been here a few days and already, he thinks he’s a nobody!”
Over the years, I’ve worked with hundreds of teams and take great delight in being part of the discovery process that is the crux of learning experientially. A funny thing happens along the path from childhood to adulthood. We often shift from being comfortable with not knowing and learning new things; to being uncomfortable with not knowing and learning new things. Popular expressions of this orientation are “my bad” or “I knew that.”
Being open to discovery is a perspective that I know what I know, and I’m open to explore those things I don’t know.
“If I am not for myself, than who will be for me?” Another way to think about this is, “If I’m not open to discover those things that I’m interested in, and want to learn and grow… who will do that for me?”
Asking ourselves the right questions, at the right time is one of the most powerful means to make new discoveries. My suggestion is to start with one question that reflects an area of growth that is really important to you.
Here’s a personal example. One value that is important to me is creating a positive connection between myself and others. The opposite of this is creating separation, strife and discord. The question that I ask myself on a regular basis is: “Right now, am I creating connection or disconnection? Is there something I can be thinking, saying or doing that will create a greater sense of connection?”
Think about a value that is really important to you. What are the questions that you need to ask yourself so you can more fully express this value?
“And if I am only for myself, what am I?”
This statement is the necessary follow up so you can take those skills, talents, and gifts and use them to create something where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. A band or symphony is a great example of individuals who have honed their individual skills and come together to create a new musical experience that is greater than everyone’s individual parts. Even the triangle that plays a singular note at one point of the performance becomes an integral part of the total experience.
Teams that work really well together recognize how their individual talents fit into a larger team picture – a group understanding that effectively utilizing team resources (talents and skills within the team) is critical to the mission and vision of the group.
Michael Jordan was, named “the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century”. Still, he could not have become a superstar without the support of his entire team. And if the team would not have been invested in winning as their main value, the other players would not have been supportive of Michael Jordan’s talents.
Some helpful questions to ask yourself are: “Am I using my talents to promote the mission and vision of my team? If not, what can I do to really “show up”? Am I only interested in my success and well being or am I also interested in the well being and success of my teammates as well?”
“If not now, when?” This is a powerful action question. It asks us to act now and not push things off to a later time, which often never happens. Practice asking yourself this question on a regular basis and see what happens.
Please feel free to share your successes in this area. dov@teamworkinnovationz.com
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To your success!
Dov Pear/Owner