Cheer on Your Team—and Everybody Wins. What kind of teammate are you?

Most of us have been on both the winning and losing side of team play. While it’s usually much more enjoyable to be with the first group, there is value in, and benefits to be gained from, being part of a team regardless of outcome.

Group competitions provide an opportunity to observe and watch others succeed and fail. That success/failure observation is how we learn. It gives us insight into solving the problem or task at hand; and it also models behavior for managing victory or defeat.

These lessons are just as important on a basketball court as they are in a corporate meeting room. The intrinsic rewards of being part of a successful team is powerful: Why do great individual athletes, like Michael Phelps, seem to get more fired up and excited to win relay races than individual events? It’s the exhilarating feeling of being part of something bigger than oneself.

When I think of teamwork, I think of creating synergy, or an environment where The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. First coined by the philosopher Aristotle, this phrase aptly defines the modern concept of synergy. For anyone who has played team sports, it echoes the T.E.A.M. acronym—together, everyone achieves more.

In Gung Ho!, we learn that the gift of the goose is to cheer each other on. Everyone needs a pat on the back, to feel appreciated and valued. Take time to reflect on your actions and contributions as part of your corporate team: What kind of teammate are you? Are you looking to get “the credit”, or do you seek to make others better? Do you thrive on teamwork, or do you prefer to work independently?

What is your contribution to your company’s culture, or your team’s objective? Do you inspire with a positive approach and attitude, or do you hold the team back with negativity?

My personal mission is to help companies, clients and colleagues perform at their highest levels. It is a thrill to watch the process of a team removing barriers and finding ways to raise the standard. When we are successful, we celebrate as a team – which is more fun than a party of one…

What does your company do to promote teamwork? Please chime in our Facebook page.

Bob De Garmo