In Teamwork there are issues but with Teamwork there are no issues
In leadership development it is relevant to have insight into purpose driven teams, by keeping team and self together. This is what I term stringing all together. You grow to mature and you age with time. Fact. As organizations and institutions go through times, they have this in mind and Leaders, as we are, should know this very well.
Remember, you are that leader I’m talking about, here. Just like that noose yanking song which kept our arms dangling in the air; on, on, on, we are marching on. We look back and everyone must fall in line. So we promise to keep everybody together, as Leaders. Hence, the command: all aboard!
Internally, some float and they keep asking: so how far can we go? Very far, a leader must answer. The bus is not stopping and leaders won’t stop driving either. He who sets his hands on the plough and keeps looking back is simply not fit to chart our path. For this we know. So we put our shoulders to the wheel.
The path may not be too pleasant and some may give up sometimes easily. So we kept singing along the way, a little sleep, a little slumber is just the trait of laziness. We abhor languor and we hate to be smoggy and this is the new way to remind ourselves to get busy. Of course, for results. We will stay awake and we will keep treading the right path to string all together if the attitude is just right.
So what do you get from stringing all together. Assortments. After all, you will get the opportunity to welcome and shape various characters, different behaviours, several leadership attitudes, unbelievable talents, courageous capacities, matchless skills and incredible competencies. The reverse could however be true, anyway.
Terrible characters, stinking behaviours, irresponsible followers, enigmatic talents, timid capacities, bizarre skills and incompetent colleagues. The point is that, the mix must be right and attitude is crucial here. In a relatively familiar line rather mercifully short, ‘keep a team or ruin a dream’. We need a team in Leadership development just as we need a Leader in team development to be the yank in stringing all together. Leadership in teamwork is tough.
Several years ago in the late 1970’s, Professor George Miller’s book on Psychology: the Science of mental life condones with Francis Gatton’s works. ‘You don’t leave people behind unless they want to’. This appears an over-the-top statement. But it isn’t. The issue of to be or not to be, is rather the question. Are you in or out? President George Bush Jnr’s submission: ‘if you are not with us, you are against us’; suffered intellectual persecution in the hands of political pundits and social commentators including the fourth estate. Nonetheless, the corporate world demands this at some point in Leadership and in teamwork development.
With teamwork there are issues but in teamwork there are no issues. Stringing all together means learning to manage people. Learning to manage people means learning to manage emotions. People are made up to exhibit about six (core) to twelve emotions on a daily basis. So if you manage a five-member team, it means that you are managing thirty to sixty emotions. This is why emotional intelligence is always crucial to leadership development. It’s fine if the team would have to disagree on issues.
It’s even better when there is a misunderstanding sometimes. But it’s best if you play the leadership role in calming storms. When your associates stand up against your opinions, don’t fret. Constantly engage. The battle prepares you for the war. In war people die, so is the battle. It’s important to rock the boat sometimes. Stabilize the situation when the objective is achieved.
The beauty of teamwork, however, is that we can think differently but still present one position towards one goal. The big challenge here is that, so many things will call for a team’s attention. How do you string all together? See this beyond teamwork and the workplace. Too many things happen in life at the same time.
Life drama is like a rush hour. Very busy with events and so many things happen within a small space with speed and imprecisions. Only beautiful minds and clean hearts shall live to enjoy the workplace. Have one. You cannot see far if you fail to see farther than where you are now. Understand the corporate vision. See yourself in two, five and ten years from now, in relationship with your immediate team. A lot shall continue to happen. See the bigger picture and just string all together!
Don’t be left following. You should be seen leading. In surge for glory you don’t leave anybody behind. If you however fail to join the army, the troops will walk on you when you drop. That’s the rush hour concept. You’ve got to be seen moving or you’ll be walked over. Don’t just stand there. Remember? You have to move. Like the lion and the gazelle story; whether you are a leader or a follower. Just move. Preferably, forward.
You shouldn’t be walked over and you shouldn’t also be seen as a push-over. You should be the one to put the team together in one direction under the corporate strategy. Teams must learn to point out ‘cliques’ who hinder progress. They are the bad apples. When they get rotten they destroy a basket-full. They may require training and development. Don’t despise them too quickly either. Loathe their attitudes and not them. Correct them. Remember the sifting process however. String the team together. Once you are in there, you do live in them. You are the leader. Get all aboard!
