Teamwork is something that we learn at a very young age. We learn that working as part of a team will strengthen the team and the businesses that partners with the team and in particular contexts such as sports, it’s essential to work as a team to win. When I work alongside others, it allows each of us to learn, grow and share. This opportunity brings the individual’s own set of ideas and talents. Let’s face it; we are naturally social creatures, most of us often prefer to partner with other people and enjoy the social side that comes with it.
The definition of “team” is comprised of people, with each of them having a unique individual perspective. The “I” has a different kind of interpretation which is somewhat of a distinctive perspective. Think about it, when we come together as a team we don’t shed our uniqueness we should be embracing the diverse aspect of one’s talents. Can you imagine what it would be like if we did?
So, here is my point of view of a fantastic team that is comprised of “I’s” and how the two combined will build a winning group of people. Take a breath before you start jumping up and down to defend this term; take a few minutes and think beyond the four-letter word. What we need to start embracing is how we encourage, empower, nurture the “I’s” and change the definition of TEAM. I have a few suggestions, but I bet within our staffing industry, we could create movement and break the “glass ceiling” and add even more to identify the amazing “I’s” that builds the TEAM.
We are All Unique Individuals that bring different life and professional experiences, their perspective and most of all their passion to the table. We could be at the same time, with the same title. However, we as individuals bring such broader ranges of ideas achieving the set goals as a whole team wants to accomplish and that we should celebrate the individual contributions and create the strength of the team.
Value of Differences here at Zillow we celebrate with “TeamSport” as one of our six core values, we also celebrate our differences and still maintain the same goals as a team. Think about it, on a sports team there are different positions, but they encompass the team mentality. These resulting differences foster debate, exploration, and possibility. In the end, the outcome is more deeply examined and the probability of achieving success increases.
Counterbalancing Influences– all those “I’s” provide a system of checks and balances. If you ever been on a team that you help each other so when one individual may pick up what one person fails to recognize. The team can validate its efforts as a result of the uniqueness of its members.
A Variety of Talents– each team member, contributes unique ideas as well as different perspectives. We each excel at specific things, which in return the team benefits from the combined talents that, its member’s strengths. So, maybe we can change the stigma around TEAM and appreciate how we come to the table as unique individuals to define “TEAM.”