Take One For The Team

I have spent a large part of this week trying to inspire and motivate my student UBBT team to step up and bring their participation level up a notch. There are so many motivational traps that we can fall into over the course of a year that it is an almost certainty that there will be multiple challenges popping up to tax resolve.

The biggest issue I am experiencing with my team is their inability to maintain a team perspective. When a person is not focused on their role within a team they tend to make bad decisions with good intentions.

Not wanting to be perceived as whiner by asking for assistance forces one to face their trials alone. What is being forgotten in this scenario is that if one team member falters, whether he is faltering publicly or not, he drags the whole team down with him. What should a hockey goalie do if he knows he has a pulled groin and can't possibly go down to block a shot? Should he tell his team or should he keep this information to himself? What is best for the team? Each member of a team must ensure their perspective is such that they are more cognizant of the team concept and as such they must share their insecurities and failures with their teammates. Open honesty - that's what accountability is all about.

“Accountability breeds response-ability.” - Stephen R. Covey (b. 1932)