People often misunderstand what it means to be in concert with someone. They picture something similar to synchronized swimming where everyone does the exact same thing. A concert is something that isn’t necessarily synchronized. To work in concert with someone else allows us to combine our very real differences to achieve a common goal. An orchestra is
Closeness is only for the most patient and accepting individuals. Too many people never experience it because they are too demanding of their own timing and preferences to truly enjoy working with another person. I believe that every human is looking for someone to be patient and accepting with them. Unfortunately, the ordinary person is not willing
Teams can grow into close, tight-knit units. This closeness is important and can lead to a concert of anticipated coordinations. That leads to efficient movements and maneuvers that allow a team to overcome any opponent or obstacle as a seemingly single mind. This closeness takes time and tolerance. Time is required for the level of familiarity to
As a teammate, I have learned to resist the urge to second guess the decision of another teammate. This includes resisting the urge to second guess leadership decisions. I learned this lesson when I first got the opportunity to call the offensive plays for a JV team. We had a gameplan and we stuck to it. We
There is such a thing as decision fatigue. Making decisions can take a toll on the mind and soul of a person. This is why people defer decisions to others so often. It’s not the act of making a decision that is so tiring. It’s living with the result of the decision. I know as a leader
Even leaders are teammates. More could be written about how leaders can be better teammates from a teammate perspective. Leadership doesn’t have to be lonely. I think that happens because leaders too often buy into the fact that they are somehow separate from the team. This cannot be the case if the team has any hope to
There is a lot of writing, videos, seminars and teachings about leadership. Leadership is important and I can understand why people would want to aspire to obtain a leadership position. The problem is that there isn’t room for everyone to be a leader. I often wonder why there isn’t more written or taught from the perspective of
Relationships are the value exchange for team building. When we choose to do things alone because “it’s better when I do it myself,” I miss out on the opportunity to build an existing relationship or begin a new one. Some people like the idea of a life without deepening relationships because their experience has been poor in
Too often people are not trained as an apprentice because the person that should be training them is too afraid of being replaced. This type of insecurity always holds a team back from having redundancy built into their team’s key positions. There are stories of how the great quarterbacks refuse to mentor the young back-up because they
The concept of apprenticeship is one that helps teams invest in their future. Every person should train another person to do their job. This is great in the short-term because it allows a teammate to take a sick day without costing the team. It is great in the long-term because it allows the team to consider promoting