Examples of teamwork exist in more places than the average person might think, For example, teamwork in business can readily be seen in a fast food restaurant. I went in one day and I ordered my sandwich. Their policy in that restaurant was to give you two packages of ketchup when you ordered a sandwich or fries. They had no problem if you wanted extras, they didn’t just put it out on the counter like a lot of places do. So when I asked for extra ketchup, the young lady at the counter turned to get it from the counter behind her. When she turned, there was another employee who overheard me ask for the ketchup, had already reached in and had another handful of ketchup to give the young lady to give to me. That was a great example of teamwork in a business. That was proactive teamwork.
Another example of teamwork in business is, when you see somebody struggling with something, you go over and offer to help. Teamwork is as much about accepting help as it is about offering help. Many people today have way too much pride and I’m as guilty as the next person. We have to be willing to accept help. We have to be willing to admit when we don’t know what we’re doing. And that comes when there is a level of trust.
One of the greatest tools for any team is to be proactive in their teamwork approach. When everyone is on the same page, and understands what each other is working on (at least to some degree), then they can offer to help . I have found that, when I brainstorm ideas with a colleague, I become more creative and more productive, which in turn makes me want to help another person.
One of the greatest challenges is that many of us are good at helping others; yet we are not always as good at accepting the help of others. Assume that Suzanne is offering to help Robert with a project – in many cases Robert feels threatened by Suzanne, and says something to the effect of “No need, I’ve got this.” In essence, Robert has shut Suzanne down. True teamwork is about accepting help as much as it is about offering to help. We cannot allow our egos to get in the way.
MAKE YOUR TEAMS ROCK!!
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