After a departmental meeting , one of the lady team members questioned the wisdom of the Director in castigating her in front of others for a very serious mistake that may have caused legal complications. She had no qualms about owning up to the mistake but there was a ruse in her voice which demanded" how dare you blame me in front of others?"
This feeling of humiliation may have demoralised the member somewhat but the point this incident raises is even more serious. The so called "others" present in the meeting were team members from the same department. Thus, to the lady in question, it is "Me" vs "They". In such a situation it is difficult to believe that the department functions as a team in which ideally there would be "We" more than "I, You and They".
Jack Welch once in his book "Winning". observed, "The team with the best players wins" Well, first there needs to be a team and the members must share a supportive relationship. Individual competencies can be strengthened but without the right bonding all teams are destined to fail!
Some of the critical attributes a good team member must possess:
INTEGRITY - people with integrity tell the truth, keep their word, take responsibility for past actions, admit mistakes and fix them, play to win the right way, by the rules. They are real, openly admit mistakes, talk about their lives with both candor & discretion.
INTELLIGENCE - not to be confused with education. Intelligent people have a strong dose of intellectual curiosity, with a breadth of knowledge to work with other smart people in today's complex world.
MATURITY - not to be confused with age, people can be mature or immature at any age. Mature people withstand the heat, handle stress and setbacks, enjoy success with joy & humility, respect the success of others, are confident but not arrogant, have a sense of humor, esp about themselves.
Ashim R Parida
This is so true! This article has stirred up my conscience to some extent so that i can stand apart and view my sense of belonging to the team.i guess i am more worried about me, myself and more proud of my competencies than the team's competencies as a whole.As a result i end up not being able to play for the team or build a team.Still asking few questions to myself?????
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