If you have watched any part of the Olympic games, chances are you have witnessed the power of teamwork.
Athletes don’t get to the Olympic level of competition on their own. They have a team surrounding them, including coaches, trainers, and their fellow teammates. Coaches and trainers are paid to help athletes, and it is no surprise that they are influential in getting an athlete prepared for such a high level of competition. We expect that we will have and need mentors who can help us reach the next level.
Athletes also use their teammates to help improve their performance. Whether they are part of a solo sport such as ice skating, or a team sport such as hockey, they are surrounded by peers. If you listen to interviews with athletes, you will often hear them talk about watching and learning from both their teammates and their rivals. They also talk about wanting to win to be part of something bigger than themselves- to help their team and their country. They want to bring pride to their communities.
We don’t need to be Olympic athletes to recognize that we can use a team to help us get better. We believe that the best teachers and the best schools have deliberately built a team which supports, challenges and stretches teachers to become their best.
How can you use the teamwork model to grow? Here are our suggestions:
Recognize the talents and gifts of yourself and your colleagues.
We each have talents and gifts. It is easy to take our own talents for granted. We think, if I can do something easily, everyone must be able to do it easily. In reality, others struggle with things that come naturally to you. Likewise, others do naturally what you struggle to do.
Recognize what it is that you do well. Do you relate well to students? Do you have a great sense of humor and use it effectively in your classroom? Are you very organized? Do you connect well with parents? Do you use technology successfully?
How can you help a colleague by using your strengths? Look for appropriate times to share your special knowledge or skill with others.
Olympic athletes know to look at the teammates and competitors who are ahead of them to see the skills they need to develop. Look for colleagues who shine in areas where you are struggling. Watch them and learn from them. Ask for their help. Allow them to challenge you and stretch you to become better.
Find shared dreams and vision.
It is easy to see the ways we are all different. If we focus only on our differences, it is difficult to build community.
Watch when an Olympic athlete breaks a record or achieves an exemplary performance. Everyone, even rivals, cheer. They recognize a feat of importance, and even though it means they might not go home with a medal, they know the moment for what it is- a celebration of glorious human achievement.
Look beyond the differences with your colleagues. There are human attributes you share. Perhaps you are all working to help a particular student achieve. Perhaps you share the vision of how to transform your school. Perhaps you are united in the face of a district challenge.
When we look past our differences and into our shared dreams and vision, we can use that synergy to help us create better classrooms and schools. Imagine what the world would be like if we saw everyone, no matter their age, gender, ethnicity, ability, religion or political beliefs, as a co-creator of a shared dream. The world would be a better place.
Share the work.
Of course, Olympic athletes get to their level with many hours of individual work. There are also times that they share the work.
In team sports such as hockey or basketball, members must work together in order to win. It is also important in individual sports. For example, look at team competitions such as the team skating event or team gymnastics event. The team wins a medal by combining their efforts and becoming the best as a group.
In a team medal competition, each member has their role to play for the good of the group. Some are expected to win their individual event. Others have virtually no chance at winning their individual event but they know that their efforts will win points towards a team gold medal. They know what they need to do in order to help the team as a whole succeed. The medal is not earned by a single person, but by a team working in combination.
Think of schools like a team event. You have your own work in your own classroom and that is important. It is your individual event. You are also a part of a team- your school’s team-and you play a role in the success of that school. You might contribute to the overall morale of the school. You might share a talent such as contributing your writing to the school newsletter. Maybe you are part of a committee writing a grant or working on a new assessment system. Whatever it is, you are taking the opportunity to help the school achieve more. Only through working together, will a school ever achieve greatness.
When we share our talents, find a shared dream or vision, and share in building greatness in our school, we are using our TEAM to help us thrive.
How are you using your TEAM to help you thrive? We would live to hear your ideas?
Our best,
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