Can't Spell Teamwork with an "I"

So here is my reaction to the Teamwork 101 reading.

First off, the very first quote is wonderful. "One is too small a number to achieve greatness."

So profound, and so very true. No one person can achieve everything by themselves. Lets examine some of the greatest people to achieve greatness.

Bill Gates: Worked with others to develop Windows. Partnered with many to create great products such as that Xbox 360 I can't give up in Media Depravation day. Team Player.

Wayne Gretzky: Nickname "The Great One". 1,963 assists to teammates. Captained some of the best teams. Team Player.

Peter DePietro: Created major websites such as Clinton Foundation and Barnes and Noble to name a couple. Created these as part of the team. Team Player.

Whether you are the Richest man in the world, best player at a sport, or a University Professor who knows his stuff, to achieve greatness, we have to be team players.

Another part that I think was really interesting. was the "Why do we Stand Alone?" section. I love nearly everyone in my major, but there are a few that suffer from these qualities that make them a bad team player. The analogy of the spinning plates, and the more plates you spin, doesn't increase your talent, but increases the chance of a plate falling. I can't stand Big Ego's, and while sometimes I'll joke and pretend I have an ego, in reality, I go out of my way to make sure that I don't have a big ego, cause I hate those people. I'm a pretty outgoing person to, so where Maxwell says he has problems relating to the less outgoing folk, I understand what he's saying. What's the harm in saying hello?

"Working together with other people toward a common goal is one of the most rewarding experiences of life."

Playing hockey with my teammates...my friends...is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Winning a rec league championship means something, because we come together, united for one cause, communicate effectively and play efficient and at a high level to win. Talent won us games. We had a few games where we were just off, and our goalie wasn't playing well, but we had a few guys who could score and they won us games. Teamwork is what won us championships.

I go back to one of my best, and favourite (inline) hockey memories. So, I was subbing as a goalie for some friends who had a double header. We had 4 players and me, the goalie against a full team. No players got rest, and it was a constant barrage of shots that I had to face (one of the teams, my dad was the goalie of), and we had one player who was a good scorer, and two great defenseman. We communicated and came together and ended up winning both games. Everyone was shocked that four players with no rest, and a goalie (who is AWESOME) won a double header with only an hour rest in between games. I probably stopped 100 shots that day. I trusted my defenders to block shots, I trusted my offense to score, and they trusted me to give them the opportunity to win by keeping the biscuit out of the basket.

The three questions, What is my dream?, Who is on my team?, and What should my dream team look like? are very important too. Establish what you want to accomplish, assemble a team, and assemble the team that fits the dream. Maxwell says, "It's better to have a great team with a weak dream, than a great dream with a weak team."

As far as Bearcast goes, the chapter about developing leaders is really important to me, and to my vision of how Bearcast should be run. We need to find people who exemplify important qualities, and put a higher stake in them so that they can take over as leaders. I think I've done that this year with the Sports Director position. I know that if I'm not selected as a director next year, that our sports department will be in great hands, because I have a large stake in both Duane McDonald, and Steve Bohne. Their are pluses and minuses for every candidate, but I really think Steve has shown that he is a person Bearcast should want to have as a leader. This year was harder to schedule because our team was smaller, and too many people had internships and are graduating. Steve was really my go to guy all year long. Never had a problem doing games, filling in for people, and I can count on him to teach the new guys (by vocal leadership, and by example) of how we are run. Just yesterday, during his show, Steve was wearing a hoodie and jeans....certainly not Bearcast Sports dress attire, but I knew Steve was money, and he didn't disappoint, because he had brought kakis, a golf shirt, and shoes with him to look good, and comply with our self imposed dress code. I certainly think that we have some great candidates for directors next year, and I think Steve would make a great one! That being said, I know without a doubt in my mind that Duane would be a great director. He too exemplifies any and every quality you could think of. I can't say enough about Duane. I tried convincing Duane last year to apply, and even went as far as telling him that if I were making the decision, I would take him over Dylan, Scott, and myself. Nobody has a bad thing to say about Duane, and everyone respects him. He's a hard worker and a tremendous leader. One thing is certain, our Sports department will continue to grow and work harder, and become better with the leaders we have, and maybe the leaders we will have!

I finally agree with an author from our required books! After thinking that Mark Ramsey knew nothing about radio (especially satellite radio), I love Maxwell. I think he is spot on and I really believe everything he says. I don't know if this is how I'm supposed to feel, but when I read these words and I feel like I innately know the words in this book.