Being on a team brings with it certain responsibilities. We have the responsibility to carry out our assignments and to do the best we can with them. There may be times that we do not enjoy doing the assignment we have, but we do them because it will help the team. This may happen at home with chores we have agreed to perform, or in school on a project that we are working on a team. If everyone only did what they wanted to do or liked to do, it is likely that our goals would not be met. In fact we may have to compromise at times and agree to do what is best for the team. However there may be times when we should not go along with the team.
Business Partner of the Year
Joe Van Deuren, Owner of Balanced Life Skills, was recently selected as Business Partner of the Year to Anne Arundel County Public Schools by the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce. The award was made at a special dinner held at the BWI Marriott Hotel. Joe was nominated by Linda Lamon, Signature Program Facilitator of South River High School where he serves on the business advisory board. She says, “Mr. Joe is a part of our school and our lives. His goal is to make life better through his years of business and life skills by giving to others and he has developed many programs to help educators as a way to celebrate their commitment to education and appreciate their work. We were proud to nominate him for this award.” Continue reading “Business Partner of the Year”
Reduce our consumption
There is a lot to think about here in this video. Of the 3 R’s Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle, it is my personal opinion that Reduce has the largest impact on the entire world and not just our corner of the world. This video makes some powerful points. http://www.storyofstuff.com/ I have personally made it a point to reduce consumption of goods. I ask myself about what I am buying or throwing away. Could I continue to use it or find someone who can use it? Do I really need something new or is it just a want? Will you join me in the quest to reduce?
The first to complete the entire 5/6 program
Balanced Life Skills is so pleased to announce the first two students to complete the entire 5/6 curriculum and receive their 5/6 Lil Dragon Black Belt. These two students were just awesome at their test and when we gave them the boards to break normally reserved for older students they had no problem at all making the break. They are focused, determined and very strong.
Teamwork – making contributions
Everyone of us is on a team. Our most important team we are on is our family. Mom, Dad and all the children are teammates. So what are we bringing to the team? What are the strengths we bring that make the team better? It is very seldom that we see everyone is good at the same skills. That is what makes a team so strong. What I may be weak at, may be your strength. When we pool the strengths of each of us then we are able to accomplish tasks and goals that would have been much harder if we had tried to do them by ourselves. At the same time a team can make us better at skills too. You may not be real good at organization, but if you watch and listen to someone on your team who has that skill, you will find that you will improve in that skill set also. You may not ever be as good as your teammate but you will remember that you have your own set of skills to bring to the team. Appreciating our own strengths and the skills of others will help a team be stronger too. There is no reason for us to pretend that we are not good at a skill, thinking that others may like us better or we do not want others to think we are showing off. At the same time we do not want to quit a team, or stop playing full out, because someone is better at a skill that we wished we had. Remember, Team is about pooling our skills to accomplish a common goal using the skills of many. When we can share an accomplishment with others it is more enjoyable and will get done faster than if we tried to do it by ourselves.
Teamwork equals success
All of us have been on good and bad teams. When we are on a good team we can really feel the spirit of cooperation, there are individuals with good attitudes and the character of the individuals create a winning attitude. Even if it is not a sports team, the attitude is about getting the job done while making the best of the situation – maybe even having fun. Not all great teams win all of the time. But one thing that all great teams and teammates do is play fair and divide the tasks fairly, so that all the responsibility does not fall on any one person. When things are going well for the team, it is not surprising that they are successful in the task at hand. Sometimes though the team is just not working. One thing I have learned in teaching is that when things are not going as you would like to see, the first place to look is at your self. If you are on a team and it just is not working out – we may want to look first at ourselves and see if we are being a good teammate. Examine our attitude, the responsibilities we have taken from the leader and examine what we can do become a successful team. It may require that we have a team meeting and refocus on the goals of the team, making sure everyone is on board. What can we do to contribute to the success of the team? Using “I” messages is a good way of expressing our concerns without pointing fingers or making others feel rejected. “I need help in this matter or that” is a good way of being sure everyone on the team knows how they can be more effective teammates. If you have been on a good team or bad tell us about it here. What did you do to have the best experience possible?