When John Amatt led the 1982 Canadian team on a successful Mount Everest
Expedition, only three people reached the summit. Many climbers who were part
of the team, whose lifetime ambition was to stand on top of Everest, made the
conscious choice to stay in the base camp. Why? Because they knew the effort
was likely to fail if everyone tried to make it. They chose to forego their
individual dreams in favor of helping the team succeed.
This wasn't John Amatt's first time to plan an Everest expedition. Ten years
earlier, with one of him friends from Norway, he had gathered a team of world-
class climbers from many different countries, for the challenge. But at the
last minute, he backed out. Officially, it was to get married. "But that was
just an excuse," he said later. "I knew that, despite having the best climbers
in the world, this expedition would not succeed. Everyone wanted to reach the
top for their own glory or that of their country. No one seemed willing to
make decisions for the good of the team."
His fears proved founded. Not only did the team not cooperate to make it to
the top, at one point these sophisticated expert climbers even indulged in a
rock-throwing fight.
A "team" is not just people who work at the same time in the same place. A
real team is a group of very different individuals who share a commitment to
working together to achieve common goals. Most likely they are not all equal
in experience, talent or education, but they are equal in one vitally
important way, their commitment to the good of the organization. Any group of
people -- your family, your workplace or your community -- gets the best
results by working as a team.
I believe that all of us want to be part of something bigger than we are.
Team relationships fulfill that basic need. They are an immensely powerful
force, yet they always need to be nurtured. Be sure to show each team member
exactly how far reaching his or her contribution can be. The team, each
member, and the larger organization will enjoy greater enthusiasm and
ultimately greater success.
What makes a team? Individuals who are not equal in talent, experience or
education, but equal in commitment. It is not realistic to think we can live
or work with others without
some conflict, but by communicating about the differences, focusing on the
common
goals and not throwing verbal rocks, we will make great strides.
(473 words)
