Team Building
A few weeks ago I had the privilege of participating in the 2012 Philadelphia Color Run with my oldest daughter Shelby who was home from college for the summer. The color run is an original experience that takes place in cities nationwide. Each location picks a local charity that the events proceeds will benefit, and Philadelphia picked “Back on my Feet”.
“Back on my feet, Philadelphia” was founded in 2007, and has become a national nonprofit organization dedicated to creating independence and self-sufficiency within the homeless and other underserved populations. The organization embraces equality, respect, discipline, teamwork and leadership. Back on My Feet’s approach focuses on the very profound and innate desire for all of us – regardless of age, race and socio-economic status – to feel recognized, appreciated, valued and important.
As I shuffled along, I watched as Shelby and her friends ran through the 5k course and although each of them ran at a different pace, most likely with different personal race agendas, I noticed that they never lost sight of where each member of their “team” was. Mostly with looks, expressions and smiles, they made it a point to “make sure” that each individual was “okay”, “on track” and finished the race.
Clearly, these ladies are each destined for greatness!
As a professional responsible for a delivery team, I believe that there are certain qualities to look for in an individual when building a team. They are:
Unselfishness – you need to be unselfish! You have to embrace the idea that you cannot and should not possibly do everything yourself. Depend on your team! That’s what they are there for!
Friendliness – The ability to “get along” with teammates off the field is nearly as important as the relationship on the field, as good chemistry off the field tends to carry over into the field of play.
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Leadership – A good team player should be able to take responsibility for his actions instead of trying to assess blame elsewhere and should be willing to help lead his teammates.
Effort – A good team player always gives his best effort because failing to do so would mean letting down his teammates.
Responsibility – A good team player is always responsible for himself and doesn’t make bad decisions that could potentially have an effect on the team.
As we move through our careers, and our lives, I hope that we are never get too busy or rise too high that we forget the wants and needs of the other members of our teams – our colleagues at work, our clients, our friends and neighbors and of course our families.
Thanks to Shelby and her JFH crew for the inspiration.
