‘Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.’ Helen Keller
The essence of a team can be seen in different sports such as football, basketball, volleyball etc. what then is a team? A team is a group of people bound by a common purpose. In a team, individual success is sacrificed on the altar of general success. According to the business dictionary, a team is defined as a group of people with a full set of complementary skills required to complete a task, job or project. Andrew Carnegie said ‘teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishment towards organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.’ In the business world, the importance of teamwork cannot be over-emphasized. There is no power in a large number of persons with different purposes. But, three people for instance with a common purpose can achieve a lot. A broom despite being unable to fly would always be stronger than a fly because it is a team. Similarly, the togetherness of wolves makes them dreadful.
However, an important question comes to the fore. How essential is a team to a dream? The reasons are not far-fetched
- Powerful results in a short time; mathematically, 1+1=2 and this has been so from time immemorial. In any organization, productivity is quickly attained if there are many hands on deck. Results are easily realized when committed people come together. Harry Ford, one of the greatest businessmen of all time said: “coming together is the beginning, keeping together is progress and working together is a success”. The word together is mentioned three times to emphasize the effectiveness of teamwork. A dream is better to set ablaze or made real by teamwork. Once, everyone sees the same thing and moves at the same pace, success visits them without notice
- The common desire results in diligence: Desire is the force that sets a man ablaze and ensures he does not retire. How much more when the desire is a common one? Everybody is always encouraged especially if everyone has a rigid attitude. All things being equal, nobody likes to be a sleeping member. The sweat of everyone challenges the one who is getting tired and he becomes motivated to work. In the furnace of common desire, diligence is forged and laziness is charred. A wise man once said “have you seen a man delight in his business? He shall stand before kings, and he will not stand before mean men” what then happens to a diligent team? They won’t only stand before kings. They will wear crowns and sit on thrones for they will achieve a lot and be rewarded by kings
In short, it is not only a common desire but diligence that ensures a dream is born
- The diversity of skills The hand has five fingers of different size and they all have their specialty. So also are individuals, we all have our areas of specialization; our main area of strength. Coming together of these potentials will spring up something great. The coming together of the finger, the hand becomes a great tool. Every organization has its own unit and each is headed by an individual and they attain the spot based on their ability. The skills they possess determine their ability and with their skill, they improve their unit; if other units perform the same way, the organization will achieve a greater result than the expected. An adage says, ‘washing of hands together makes the hand clean.’
Finally, the success of every business depends on teamwork. Any businessman who doesn’t believe two are better than one should prepare for burial for he has dug his grave. ‘Individual commitment to a group effort-that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work’ Vince Lombardi
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