Teamwork makes all things work welland purpose
When one is younger one focuses on what one wants. As one matures one realises that often need is a more compelling driver than want or desire. Want and desire are at best temporary and transient drivers. When one gets what one wants there always seems to be more that one wants. This insatiable appetite is at the heart of many of the ills of our planet today.
Want has been the yin and yang of this planet. It has driven economic growth and generated amazing innovation and, yet, about 40% of the world’s population starves.
We won’t be able to eliminate want, but maybe we can modify it enough to allow the planet to recover enough robust health to enable people to enjoy a good quality of life. This does not seem too much to ask of the ingenuity of the incredible innovative capacities of the human being. Just look at what we have achieved in the past 50 years.
This is the macro issue.
The real question, though, is what can each of us do at the micro level? What can we do at home, at school, at university, at work? How can we engage ourselves in such a way that we begin to understand that everything we do has a consequence somewhere on the planet.
There is absolutely nothing that we do that is inconsequential. Of course some of the consequences are truly minor but many are not.
The first step, therefore, is to accept this reality. Even our breathing is not consequence-free. When we realise, understand and accept this reality we take the first step to overcoming the macro issues.
It all begins with each one of us – with our orientation to our fellow beings; to those near and dear to us, to our neighbours, our workmates.
It begins with an understanding, an internalisation, a commitment to everyone with whom we have a relationship, no matter how tiny or inconsequential these relationships may seem in the greater scheme of things to be.
It begins with the car-guard from the DRC, the waiter from Bulawayo, the petrol-jockey recently arrived from Cofimvaba, and, of course, those bigger relationships with family, friends and work colleagues. It begins with us.
It requires that we see and accept those in our domain as teammates in the Big Game of Life. Once one accepts them as teammates, one also accepts the important responsibilities that we owe teammates.
Teammates look out for each other, care for each other, support each other, protect each other against attack.
Most importantly, though, teammates do all in their power to make their teammates feel good about themselves, to be the very best that they can be, so that we can all be the very best that we can be together.
This means seeking out the good and positive in each person, telling them what you have found, encouraging them to strengthen these talents, skills and personality traits; by helping them to also accept their responsibilities to share these with everyone around them.
This will help to strengthen the entire team and help us all to thrive in the most important ways, way beyond chasing what we want.
Our planet can no longer satisfy our wants. It can barely deal with our needs, but if we make sure that we simplify our lives and really support our teammates we may well be able to help those that are truly poverty-stricken out of their indigence to become fully contributing members of the society of which they are part.
Society itself will feel the positive effects of this in so many ways.
It begins with each one of us.
Written by Tony Frost You are reading Teamwork makes all things work welland purpose articles
