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\u201cThe human body is probably the most amazing example of teamwork anywhere. Every part needs the other. When the stomach is hungry, the eyes spot the hamburger. The nose smells the onions, the feet run to the snack stand, the hands douse the burger with mustard and shove it back into the mouth, where it goes down into the stomach. Now that\u2019s cooperation!\u201d (Joni Eareckson Tada).<\/p>\n
TEAMWORK IS THE RESULT OF PEOPLE DOING THINGS THAT COMPLEMENT, OR COMPLETE, ONE ANOTHER\u2019S WORK. It doesn\u2019t matter whether a group is formally organized and called a \u201cteam\u201d or not; the identifying characteristic is still the same: people do things, each helping the other, that accomplish a common goal.<\/em> Joni Eareckson Tada\u2019s analogy of the parts of a human body working together to get a hamburger is apt. Something similar to that always takes place when individuals pool their talents and function as a team.<\/p>\n Teamwork requires maturity.<\/em> We won\u2019t function well on a team if we haven\u2019t grown up enough to get past selfishness and \u201citsy-bitsy thinking.\u201d If our skill set contains only two responses to frustration \u2014 fight or flight \u2014 then we aren\u2019t yet mature enough for teamwork.<\/p>\n Teamwork is difficult.<\/em> The benefits of teamwork are amazing, but they aren\u2019t free. There is a price to be paid. We have to determine that we\u2019ll learn how to cooperate and work through difficulties and challenges to the team. Patience and perseverance are absolutely essential.<\/p>\n Teamwork requires humility.<\/em> Teamwork isn\u2019t for prima donnas or peacocks. It\u2019s for people who have enough humility to contribute to a worthy endeavor in whatever way they can, whether they\u2019re in the spotlight or not. Teamworkers are content for the team to get the credit.<\/p>\n In moments of success, we dare not forget that what has been accomplished has been, almost always, the result of collaboration. Rarely do we bring any project to completion without the help of some kind of team, whether large or small, and acknowledging that fact ought to be something we\u2019re eager to do. Teamwork happens to be a good thing. It\u2019s a privilege to be part of something bigger than our solitary selves.<\/p>\n \u201cSuccess is a ruthless competitor for it flatters and nourishes our weaknesses and lulls us into complacency. We bask in the sunshine of accomplishment and lose the spirit of humility which helps us visualize all the factors which have contributed to our success. We are apt to forget that we are only one of a team, that in unity there is strength and that we are strong only as long as each unit in our organization functions with precision\u201d (Samuel Jones Tilden).<\/p>\n Gary Henry \u2013 WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com<\/p>\n