My Notes From Teamwork 101

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Preface, page V ʹ ͞If you want to grow and become the best person you can be, you͛ve got to be intentional about it.͟ Ô —
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 ^ „he Value of „eamwork: ‘ ͞„here are no problems we cannot solve together, and very few that we can solve by ourselves.͟ -President Lyndon Johnson ‘ „eams share credit for victories and the blame for losses. „his fosters genuine humility and authentic community. Individuals take credit and blame alone. „his fosters pride and sometimes a sense of failure. ^ 0hy Do 0e Stand Alone? : ‘ D go) So the question is not whether you can do everything by yourself; it͛s how soon you͛re going to realize that you can͛t. ‘ DInsecurity) ͙͞only secure leaders give power to others.͟ ‘ DInsecurity) ͞0e should not only use all the brains we have, but all that we can borrow.͟ -President 0oodrow 0ilson ‘ D„emperament) If you do everything alone and never partner with other people, you create huge barriers to your own potential.  ` 
     
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  ^ „eamwork „ruths: ‘ „eamwork divides the effort and multiplies the effect:  *etter results from less work ‘ „alent wins games, but teamwork wins championships ‘ „eamwork is not about you:  „he true measure of a leader is getting people to work hard together.  ͞In order to have a winner, the team must have a feeling of unity. very player must put the team first ahead of personal glory.͟ -Paul ͞*ear͟ *ryant  ͞If a team is to reach its potential, each player must be willing to subordinate his personal goals to the good of the team.͟ -*ud 0ilkinson  ͞„he freedom to do your own thing ends when you have obligations and responsibilities. If you want to fail yourself ʹ you can ʹ but you cannot do your own thing if you have responsibilities to team members.͟ -Lou Holtz  ͞„eamwork requires that everyone͛s efforts flow from a single direction. Feelings of significance happen when a team͛s energy takes on a life of its own.͟ -Pat Riley ‘ üreat „eams Create Community:  0hen a team shares a strong sense of community, team members can resolve conflicts without dissolving relationships. ‘ Adding Value „o Others Adds Value „o You:

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 If you desire to succeed, then live by these four simple words: 

  
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 0hat Is Your verest? : ‘ If you have a dream, you need a team to accomplish it. ‘ How do you approach the task of putting together a team to accomplish your dream? I think the best way to start is to ask yourself three questions:  ͞0hat is my dream?͟ ʹ tells us what could be  ͞0ho is on my team?͟ ʹ tells us what is  ͞0hat should my dream team look like?͟  How to ürow a „eam: ‘ Develop „eam Members:  If you͛re leading the team, then one of your most important responsibilities is to see the potential that people don͛t see in themselves, and draw it out. 0hen you accomplish this, you͛re doing your job as a leader. ‘ Add Key „eam Members:  Sometimes all the team needs is one key person with talent in an area to make the difference between success and failure. ‘ Change the Leadership:  „he challenge of the moment often determines the leader for that challenge.  If your team is facing a big challenge, and it doesn͛t seem to be making any progress ͞up the mountain͟, then it might be time to change leaders. „here may be someone on the team more capable for leading during this season. ‘ Remove Ineffective Members: 
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 „he Leaders Daily Dozen: ‘ Place a High Value on People:  You only commit yourself to things you value. And fundamentally, if you don͛t value people, you will never create a culture that develops leaders. ‘ Commit Resources to Develop People ‘ Place a High Value on Leadership:  As yourself if you place value on leadership in your organization or team ‘ Look for Potential Leaders:  „en characteristics of leaders according to John C. Maxwell:   Make things happen  See opportunities  Influence the opinions and actions of others  Add value to you  Draw winners to them

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 Help equip others to lead  Provide ideas that help the team, organizations, etc.  Possess an uncommonly great attitude  Live up to their commitments  Show fierce loyalty the to team or organization, especially the leader ‘ Know and Respect Your People ‘ Provide Your People with Leadership xperiences:  Our natural tendency is to give people tasks to perform rather than leadership functions to fulfill. ‘ Reward Leadership Initiative ‘ Provide a Safe nvironment 0here People Ask Questions, Share Ideas, and „ake Risks:  ͞Leaders have a say in what they are being led to. A leader who neglects that soon finds himself without followers.͟ -Historian üary 0illis ‘ ürow with Your People:  I have already grown.  I want my people to grow.  I͛m dedicated to helping my people grow.  I want to grow along with my people.  0hich one am I??? ‘ Draw People with High Potential into Your Inner Circle:  „he best way to develop high caliber leaders is to have them mentored by a highcaliber leader. üive your best to the best you have. ‘ Commit Yourself to Developing a Leadership „eam:  If you want to reach your max potential, or have your team reach that, you have a group of leaders that can fill in each other͛s weaknesses, etc. ‘ §nleash Your Leaders to Lead Ô —
  
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 ^ „he „eam Members Care for One Another: ‘ „eammates have to know they all look out for each other ^ „he „eam Members Know 0hat͛s Important: ‘ If one player on a team doesn͛t know what is important to the team, they are ineffective. ^ „he „eam Members Communicate with One Another: ‘ Stay in constant contact and tell each other what is going on, in order to preserve the ͞team͟. ‘ Create an atmosphere of positive communication because open communication increases productivity. 

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^ „he „eam Members ürow „ogether: ‘ Learn on a regular basis together, at least once a month ‘ Small teams of learners ʹ have groups of 3 or 4 work together at times ‘ Send people to conferences, seminars, and workshops to help them grow and learn constantly ‘ Have shared experiences ^ „here Is a „eam Fit: ‘ Desire by team members to respect others and contribute to team atmosphere. ^ „he „eam Members Place „heir Individual Rights *eneath the *est Interest of the „eam: ‘ Person must genuinely feel the team is more important than their personal interests.  „heir success will come with the team͛s success ‘ Personal sacrifice must be encouraged and then rewarded. ^ ach „eam Member Plays a Special Role: ‘ Êiche Principle ʹ ͞People who occupy a special place on the team feel special and perform in a special way. „eam niches humanize teamwork.͟ ‘ „eam roles must fit the goals/needs of organization, while capitalizing on the strengths and abilities of each individual.  „eam leaders need to make sure roles are being filled and make adjustments when they are not. ^ An ffective „eam Has a üood *ench: ‘ „he leaders must select, equip, and develop people in order to maximize their abilities. ‘ Finest quality of teamwork ʹ a person who is willing to step up his/her level of play for teammates in times of need ^ „he „eam Members Know xactly 0here the „eam Stands: ‘ Similar to the term ͞court vision͟ in basketball  „he ability to know what is going on while on the court, in the classroom, or in the organization you are a part of. ^ „eam Members are 0illing to Pay the Price: ‘ „here has to be a total commitment from every individual on the team. veryone has to realize the price it will take and why they are sacrificing.  ` 
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  ^ Cultivating Selflessness: ‘ *e üenerous ‘ Avoid Internal Politics ‘ Display Loyalty  Loyalty fosters unity, and unity breeds team success ‘ Value interdependence over Independence  ͞Êo man can live happily who regards himself alone, who turns everything to his own advantage. You must live for others if you wish to live for yourself.͟

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 „o *ecome More Selfless͙. ‘ Promote Someone Other „han Yourself ‘ „ake a Subordinate Role  „ry out letting others go first, putting their needs ahead of yours ‘ üive Secretly  ͞You have not lived today successfully unless you͛ve done something for someone who can never repay you.͟ ʹ 0riter John *unyan 
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 How to Invest in „eam *uilding: ‘ Make the Decision to *uild a „eam  „his is the first step and it takes commitment ‘ üather the *est „eam Possible  „he very best people possible for you to succeed ‘ Pay the Price to Develop the „eam  You have to set aside your personal time, money, and agenda investing in the team to totally commit. ‘ Do „hings „ogether as a „eam  ͞ ven when you͛ve played the game of your life, it͛s the feeling of teamwork that you͛ll remember. You͛ll get the plays, the shots, and the scores, but you͛ll never forget your teammates.͟  Community like is described above is developed by spending time with and getting to know each other. ‘ mpower „eam Members with Responsibility and Authority  „his helps build up leaders on the team ‘ üive Credit for Success to the „eam  „eam morale will be built by celebrating accomplishments as a team  A leader takes the blame, but never the credit. If you do this, your team will always fight for you! ‘ 0atch to See „hat the Investment in the „eam Is Paying Off  You want to make sure you see progress, fast or slow, so you know you are getting a return on your investments. ‘ Create Opportunities for the „eam  Always present new challenges to your team to help their growth ‘ üive the „eam the *est Possible Chance to Succeed  ͞Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. 0orking together is success.͟ ʹ James . Hunton  ͞0here there͛s a will there͛s a way; where there͛s a team, there͛s more than one way.͟

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 ^ Your „eam Is Êot for veryone: ‘ Êot veryone 0ill „ake the Journey:  If they don͛t want to go along, thank them kindly and move on ‘ Êot veryone Should „ake the Journey:  If they have different agendas than what your team has, and won͛t buy in, you should exclude them from the journey. ‘ Êot veryone Can „ake the Journey:  „his is a simple case of whether or not someone is capable of taking the journey. Some people simply don͛t have the ability.  0hat can you do about weak links on your team?  You need to train them or trade them.   People will often rise to your level of expectations. üive them hope and training and they usually improve ^ „he Impact of a 0eak Link: ‘ As a team leader, you can never avoid dealing with weak links ‘ „he Stronger Members Identify the 0eak One  If you have strong people on your team, the weak members will easily stick out. ‘ „he Stronger Members Have to Help the 0eak One  If you have team players, then they will help the weaker members ‘ „he Stronger Members Come to Resent the 0eak One  If the weak members are a constant drag, the others will resent them for their lack of effort and commitment. ‘ „he Stronger Members *ecome Less ffective  You cannot always carry the load for the weaker team members ‘ „he Stronger Members Question the Leaders Ability  You lose the respect of the best when you don͛t deal properly with the worst. ^ Strengthening the Chain: ‘ „he power and momentum of a team can carry a weak link for awhile, but not forever. ‘ In terms of interactions between a weaker person and stronger person, the weaker usually controls the relationship.   „he person who is stronger has to constantly wait and help the weaker, which controls what happens along the path. ‘ If you have to remove someone from your team, be discreet, be honest, be clear, and be brief. Afterwards, be honest with the rest of the team and respect the person that you cut ties with.  ` 
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^ 0hen you compete with your teammates, you want to try and complete them. ‘ Organizations first, develop trust, think win-win, include others, etc. ^ 0inning at all costs will only cost you with your peers. If you are trying to beat them, you will not be able to influence them effectively. ^ How to *alance Competing and Completing: ‘ Acknowledge Your Êatural Desire to Compete  Make sure and channel your competitiveness in a POSI„IV 0AY ‘ mbrace Healthy Competition  It brings out your best  It promotes honest assessment  It creates camaraderie  It doesn͛t become personal ‘ Put Competition in Its Proper Place  Channel it correctly in the right direction ‘ Know 0here to Draw the Line  Êever ͞go for the throat͟ with your peers because it will alienate them.  Anytime it will lower morale, it is ineffective.  ` 
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   ‘ *asically this refers to resisting the urge to keep pushing your ideas if you know they are not the best on the table. ^ Ideas: „he Lifeblood of an Organization: ‘ 0hat Leads to the *est Ideas?  „eam Leaders Listen to All Ideas  „eam Leaders Êever Settle for Just One Idea  „eam Leaders Look in §nusual Places for Ideas  „eam Leaders Don͛t Let Personality Overshadow Purpose  Don͛t let the personality of those you are working with cause you to lost sight of the purpose of your team/organization. You want to add value to your team and advance your organizations.  Make sure if you have to reject an idea, you reject the idea and not the person  „eam Leaders Protect Creative People and „heir Ideas  *ecome a fan of creative people and what they can bring to the table.  „eam Leaders Don͛t „ake Rejection Personally  Have passion for your ideas and have integrity to stand up for them, but know when to compromise. ‘ Your motivation should not be to win friends and influence others, but if you let the best idea win, you will win friends and influence people that way͙positively.