Our John Maxwell fix today comes form his book, "Teamwork Makes The Dream Work." In the book, Maxwell shares a story on teamwork in the most difficult of environments — during competition with each other:“A few years ago in Seattle, Washington, nine finalists were poised at the starting line of a 400 meter race, each planning to do his best and hoping to win the medal for first place. As the gun went off, the racers sprinted toward the finish line. But one of the runners fell down. He quickly got up and gave his all to catch up with the others. But once again, he fell. His frustration totally overcame him, and he burst into tears and began to sob loudly. Then a strange thing happened. The rest of the field heard his cries, and they turned to see that he was lying on the track. The runners began to slow down, and then one by one, they stopped, turned around, and went back to him. They picked him up, consoled him, and then together, all nine of them finished the race. In a race made for individual glory, the racers had made themselves into a team. Where in the world could something like this happen? At the Special Olympics. Perhaps that is why they are called ‘special!’”
Maxwell, who spends all of his time working with teams, groups, companies and organizations on all levels, offered the following insights:
Look at hundreds of winning teams, and you will find that their players have four things in common:
#1 They play to win: The difference between playing to win and playing not to lose is often the difference between success and mediocrity.
#2 They have a winning attitude: Team members believe in themselves, their teammates, and their dream. And they don’t allow negative thinking to derail them.
#3 They keep improving: The highest reward for their efforts isn’t what they get from it, but who they become because of it. Team members know intuitively that if they’re through improving, they’re through.
#4 They make their teammates more successful: Winners are empowers. As Charlie Brower says, ‘Few people are successful unless a lot of other people want them to be.”
