"The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime." - Babe Ruth
I remember watching a Little League baseball game a few years ago. One of the players went to bat with a runner on first base. The coach gave him a sign to lay down a sacrifice bunt. I saw the sign, the batter did, too. But he ignored coach's instructions, swung at a pitch he liked and hit a line drive, which the second baseman caught easily for an out. As he walked back to the bench the coach asked if he saw the bunt sign; the batter said yes. When asked why he didn't bunt, the batter said,
"Because I didn't WANNA sacrifice..!" Not surprisingly, his team lost the game...by a single run...
EGOTISM: excessive use of the first person singular personal pronoun; the practice of talking about oneself too much; an exaggerated sense of self-importance: CONCEIT (too much pride in your own worth or goodness); the feeling or belief that you are better, more important, more talented, etc., than other people
In sports or any other profession, selfishness is not a recipe for success. I can't say it any plainer than that. Many people belong to organizations capable of excellence, of impact, of significance, but because egos get in the way more often than not their best efforts fall short. To some, individual accolades mean more than group accomplishments. Precious time is wasted trying to prove who's right, who's wrong, and who's better than who, instead of building up the team, which increases everybody's chances for success. People who claim to be interested in serving others get bogged down in lip service, making sure they shine brightest of all when they stand in the spotlight. Everything they say and do screams, "LOOK AT ME! I'M SPECIAL! I'M WORTHY OF YOUR ATTENTION!" Such behavior does not draw people in, it turns people off and pushes them away. In the end, it isn't admired, only tolerated, and not for long. People with an overinflated sense of self put others down in an attempt to lift themselves up, often without realizing it. Such behavior only serves to tear an organization apart, sometimes beyond repair if the rift is serious enough:
"Any kingdom that is divided against itself is being brought to desolation and laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will last or continue to stand." - Matthew 12:25 AMP
As serious as this situation can be, it is not hard to remedy. A friend shared this with me recently. I thought it was a great way to address the issue. I can sum it up in three words: A SERVANT'S HEART...
Once a group of 500 people were attending a seminar. Suddenly the speaker stopped and decided to do a group activity. He started giving each person a balloon. Each person was then asked to write their name on it using a marker pen. Then all the balloons were collected and put in another room.
The people were then let into that room and asked to find the balloon which had their name written on it within 5 minutes. Everyone was frantically searching for their name, colliding with each other, pushing around others and there was utter chaos.
At the end of 5 minutes no one could find their own balloon. Then the speaker asked each person to randomly collect a balloon and give it to the person whose name was written on it. Within minutes everyone had their own balloon. The speaker then began,
"This is happening in our lives. Everyone is frantically looking for happiness all around, not knowing where it is. Our happiness lies in the happiness of other people. Give them their happiness; you will get your own happiness. And this is the purpose of human life...the pursuit of happiness."
"The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped." - Proverbs 11:25 The Message Bible
"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." - Harry S. Truman
You ask any championship team you've ever seen and they'll all say the same thing, THERE IS NO "I" IN TEAM. Nobody wins by dwelling on individual statistics. To paraphrase the late Barry White, team goals are FIRST, team goals are LAST, team goals are EVERYTHING. I like what the Marines say, "No one left behind." Team success is for the WHOLE team, not just a few superstars...but everyone must play a part in making it happen. Everyone has a role to play for the good of the team. A team win is a T.E.A.M. win (Together, Everyone Achieves More) if every member of the team contributes. You must be willing to sacrifice something for the benefit of everyone else in the group, knowing and trusting that everyone else in the group is willing to do the same for you. If you're willing to do that, you'll learn something very important: just like a potluck supper, nobody enjoys the feast until everybody brings their specialty to the table.
"Either we heal now, as a team...or we will die, as individuals..." - Al Pacino, Any Given Sunday
That's all for now, gotta run. Until we meet again, remember...
Keep it simple... See ya!
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