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?
Balanced Life Skills on your team
When we exchange ideas with each other – this is one of the most valuable exchanges we can have with another human. Some of us fit into a category called “idea man”. At least that is what I have personally been called. But the fact is we all have ideas, and when we share them we are forming a team that can really do great things.
So what is your vision? If there were no other obstacles what would you like to accomplish or see get done? For those of you who know me you know that I have a vision for our school. I would love to see our students be known not just for the physical skills and there consistent discipline to attain those skills, but also for their contribution to their teams and our community.
How do we try to reach that goal? Slowly we have built a team, a group of students, parents and others who have the same mind. Balanced Life Skills is not just another after school activity to spend some energy on and get some exercise . The goal is to become better individuals, both as parents and children.
Again we ask what is your vision for your family? How will you reach your goal? “If you commit your self to excellence and surround yourself with things that represent excellence, your life will change.” Balanced Life Skills is here to be part of your team. I am here to contribute to your team in any way you would like for us to. All of the tools that we provide in the dojo and outside are designed to help each of us to reach our goals. Be sure that you are invited to talk to me at any time about how we might serve your team better.
Teamwork discussion
Teamwork is our word of the month. There are times when we must work alone, but most of us enjoy having the help and company of a team to accomplish tasks. Teams make the tasks easier and more fun as general rule, unless of course someone on the team has an attitude of being better than the others or does not play full out.
A team is never about just one person – it is about the team and the power that comes from the concerted effort of a group of individuals. While teamwork can be used in different parts of our life, home, school, work and recreation, I believe our most important team is our family.
How do we approach tasks at home? Continue reading “Teamwork discussion”
Special award for Balanced Life Skills
On April 23, 2009 Joe Van Deuren, Owner of Balanced Life Skills, was selected as Business Partner of the Year by the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Education. 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…Read More
Appreciation: in difficult times
Have you ever had a toothache, locked your keys in your car, or had some other painful experience that was inconvenient and painful in some manner? There is a story about dentist’s being sure to collect their money on the day of service provided because it is easy to forget just how painful that toothache was a week later when we get the bill.
The same is true when we are having a bad day. It is hard for us to remember how lucky we are or all the good things we have going for us. Someone said once “Behind each cloud we know that the sun or the moon is shining.” Our emotions create our own experience. If we are having a bad day, when things have not gone the way we would have liked for them to go, we look at it and respond differently than if our day had been going well and this is just a little non-important bump in the course of a great day.
Our goal then is not to live in “happy happy land” but to look at things realistically. We need to ask ourselves about the event what really happened, and what is the worst that can happen and what is the possible good results. One time many years ago I was let go at my job. It was the worst day of my life at that moment. What was so bad was thinking about how to tell my wife, how will we pay the bills, etc.? But when looking back on it now it led to me starting a business in 1978 that led to me being more financially secure than I ever would have been in that current situation.
The point is we need to ask ourselves better questions. When Lance Armstrong was told he had testicular cancer, it was not the best day of his life. But he asked good questions and ended up not only beating it but then becoming a 7 times champion in his sport along with all of the other work he has done. We can do the same. Ask good questions, look for the silver lining in our situation and express this to yourself and others. This is showing appreciation for the life we have.