Real life and sports mirror each other in many ways. Everyone has heard at least once, and probably a thousand times, “There is no ‘I’ in team!”. A team of unique individuals can accomplish much more than one person by relying on the strengths of each team member.
In college, there are many team building exercises that focus on teaching the students how to work well with others and to rely on them to do their part of the project. Trust is a huge factor in teamwork. It is instinctive to want to do everything, but a good teammate lets each person do his or her fair share.
Workplaces have learned the power of brainstorming. Throwing ideas out into a group can result in bigger and better achievements than leaving employees to figure things out on their own.
Athletes learn from a young age how important their teammates are. Encouragement, leadership, and respect are all part of being a good team member. A good team makes each person look good – likewise, a person who wants all of the attention can make the whole team look bad.
Don and I have relied on several people for the success of this blog. Warren Moon’s encouragement at the Fantasy Football Experience, my mom and brother’s editing skills, and our friend, Matt’s artistic talents have all contributed to our success. We have received advice from experts through Twitter, and Don’s mom and my daughter both re-post our blog and offer encouragement. My cousin, Andy, writes fantastic Saturday posts and is also one of our biggest supporters. Family and friends read our posts in the beginning, when we only had a handful of followers. As the blog grows, so will our team. This is a fun and exciting time in our lives and we are thankful to have a diverse group of strengths to help us reach our goals.
