{"id":16794,"date":"2014-12-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-12-16T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/skydivemag.com\/new\/?p=16794"},"modified":"2021-01-29T18:41:50","modified_gmt":"2021-01-29T18:41:50","slug":"2014-12-16-the-i-in-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/2014-12-16-the-i-in-team\/","title":{"rendered":"The ‘I’ in Team"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The best teams I\u2019ve seen, coached or been on had lots of ‘Is’ on them..<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Between running a drop zone, organizing world records, winning the world championships, writing a book and raising a family I\u2019ve been fortunate to have had a wide range of experiences in a variety of fields. All of them, to some degree or another, required a team. None of these goals did I accomplish completely on my own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a team?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Which leads to the age old question: What is a \u201cteam\u201d really? At the very core of what defines a high performance team is this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A group of individuals committed to the pursuit of a common goal,
who need<\/em> each other to achieve it<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This is a bit different than the more common definition which is: ‘A group of individuals who are committed to a common goal.’ But committing to the goal is easy. Everyone commits to the goal. Who wouldn\u2019t want the goal? The goal is the victory, the win, the money, everyone commits to the goal. But committing to the goal without committing to the pursuit of that goal is meaningless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The goal is something we set our sights on, something we work towards, something we strive for. And for most goals, certainly any that involve sports, there is no guarantee that we\u2019ll ever accomplish it. For every Olympic Gold Medalist there are 1000 people whose goal it was to be an Olympic Gold Medalist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Airspeed
Airspeed, 1995<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Committing to the Pursuit is what counts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What is guaranteed is that in pursuit of that goal there will be times when it seems like it\u2019s just not going to happen, that it is too hard, that it seems like we\u2019re never going to reach it. During times like this the people who have only committed to the goal will start to lose hope, to give up, to quit. They will often look for excuses which give them a justified reason to fail, something else to blame so they can walk away believing it\u2019s not their fault.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Committing to the goal without committing to the pursuit of that goal is meaningless<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This happens more than we realize. I\u2019ve done it myself and didn\u2019t even realize it until I looked back on it. It isn\u2019t something we necessarily do intentionally. More often it\u2019s subconscious. It\u2019s a defense mechanism. This let\u2019s us feel better about failing. \u201cI was going to win the World Championships but my competition received corporate sponsorship and put that goal completely out of reach.\u201d That was a justified reason. It wasn\u2019t my fault. But if I had accepted that excuse I would have still failed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for those of us who are committed to the pursuit of our goals, of course the goal seems out of reach, of course it\u2019s seems too hard, of course there are times it feels like we\u2019re never going to get there. No worthwhile goals can be any other way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We set the goal and then set it aside. We form a step by step plan for a how to achieve it and we go to work. We don\u2019t always expect to make progress in leaps and bounds. We do it bit by bit, little by little. We get up every day and get after it. Ambitious goals aren\u2019t achieved any other way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Airspeed
Airspeed, US Champions 1994, by Bill Schmidt<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Common Need<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Need is the other key element. We don\u2019t have teammates because we\u2019re lonely and want someone to hang out with or because we don\u2019t have the courage to go it alone when we actually could go it alone. That\u2019s what friends are for. We have teammates because we need them to accomplish our goals and they need us to accomplish theirs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If they could accomplish their goals on their own, without having to count on anyone else to make it happen they usually would<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Most successful people are strong, highly motivated, self-sufficient, independent, hard-working, smart individuals. If they could accomplish their goals on their own, without having to count on or rely on anyone else to make it happen they usually would. If they can\u2019t do it on their own they need a team and teammates who are committed to the pursuit of the same goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This common need is what forces teams to form. True high performance teams don\u2019t form for convenience. They form because they have to, the teammates need each other, they cannot accomplish their goals on their own. This need is also what serves as the glue that holds the team together when there are conflicts between teammates or disagreements on the plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the person who is only committed to the goal these are all excuses to quit. But for teammates who are committed to the pursuit and who need each other to achieve it there is no quitting. You figure out solutions and make it happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Perris
Perris Fury by Willy Boeykens<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The I in Team<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve also heard the phrase \u201cThere is no \u201cI\u201d in \u201cteam\u201d. It\u2019s the most common phrase in team-building, it\u2019s everywhere. You\u2019ve probably seen it on T-shirts and posters. I know the spirit and intent of the slogan is good and I may be going out on a limb here, but I beg to differ. The best teams I\u2019ve seen, coached or been on had lots of ‘Is’ on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best teams I\u2019ve seen, coached or been on had lots of ‘Is’ in them<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I would go as far to say that most people who pursue excellence in most fields do so initially from a fairly selfish motivation. I<\/strong> want to win. I<\/strong> want to succeed. I<\/strong> want to make a good living. I<\/strong> want to be the best. I<\/strong> want to be the person that makes a difference. It\u2019s mostly about our own personal goals and rewards. And there\u2019s absolutely nothing wrong with that. But if our desire towards personal success requires a team, this self centered approach isn\u2019t going to cut it. And the self-centered approach isn\u2019t even in our best self interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think of it this way:<\/p>\n\n\n\n