No ‘I’ in Team But Two in Winning

Posted by Kyle in Leadership, iLearningGlobal on 06 23rd, 2009

I am wrapping up a two-year stint as the Colorado-Wyoming-Montana Division President for the International Association of Administrative Professionals. It has been an amazing term, but I am ready to let go and let others take the reins.

As part of my out-going speech (which was short much to the surprise of people who know I love to tell stories), I showed an iLearningGlobal video by Dan Clark, entitled Team. I chose this particular video, not only because I am a huge fan of Dan Clark’s and have shown his videos at leadership workshops, but because it speaks to the core of what I wanted to do as the CWM Division President. The following is based on Dan’s video about Team because it resonates so strongly with me.

The saying goes that there is no ‘I’ in team, but there are two in ‘winning’. There are always those with the buzz phrase – ‘It’s all about Team.” Do you agree? If you said ‘Yes,’ think about this – Teams lose! So, yes, in my mind winning is completely different and can help you build that strong team or IAAP chapter.

The two ‘I’s’ in winning are commitments that are important to building strong teams or groups:

The first I – Independent and Individual Preparation
Clarity (like attitudes attract like)
Character (what you do when no one else is looking)
Confidence (mind memory)
Consistency (perfect practice)
Change
Cause (why and how you do things)
Chemistry (who you do things with)

The second I – Interdependence Collaboration
Contribution (making everyone around you better)
Cohesion (people leave saying “I like me best when I am around you.”)
Conclusion (focus/finish)

Are you the best that you can be? When you rely on others more than ourselves, we relinquish our power. Our power from within to become more of who we already are. This is an important concept for team builders, as well as team members. We should rise to the occasion and contribute to the win. How can we do that?

Can you exceed expectations? No – you have simply misjudged your expectations. I tell people ‘not’ to step out of your comfort zone because you can step right back in if the going gets tough. I tell them to ‘expand’ their comfort zones. See the difference?

As a leader, these are my goals:

Inspire others from within
Treat everyone like they are the most single important person in the world
Have the Right Players on my team, not just the Best
Help others expand their comfort zones

The right players have the 10 Cs mentioned above. You cannot win with just the best players, you must have the right players.

Here is your question: ‘Why?’ This could be why are you here; why are you doing what you are doing; why are you a leader…..

The answer should be – To make everybody better – a better person; a better leader; a better friend…….

Challenge: Be the best you can be and exceed expectations – because you can!

*If you are interested in learning more about iLearningGlobal, please contact me.