10 things our lawmakers (and society in general) could learn from team challenge
I want to preface this post by saying I know very little about the nuances of the issues in Washington, and honestly I am grateful that I don't have to understand those nuances. But as I read and listened to various things regarding the government shut down, I found myself thinking about the time I spent with 6th graders on the challenge course at Heartland today, and thought that maybe our lawmakers, and society as a whole, need a refresher course...
1. There are many ways to accomplish something. It doesn't have to be your way. And if everyone decides it has to be their way, nothing gets done. Sometimes being part of a team means letting go of what you want for what serves the greater good of the team. And let's be clear - when I say team, I really mean anything that involves more than one person - a family, a workplace, and yes, a government and country.
2. Communication requires 3 parts - 1. Sending a message (i.e. talking) 2. Receiving the message (i.e. listening) 3. Understanding the message. And when you don't understand, you can ask questions of clarification. We could avoid a whole lot of drama that way.
3. When you have a limited amount of resources, such as time or money, you need to make a plan to use those resources well. Otherwise you will get out of balance.
4. And on the subject of resources - use the resources that are best for the task at hand, not just whatever resources you think you have at your disposal.
5. Team work requires paying attention to the needs of the people around you. Yes, it is important to focus on yourself and make sure you are doing your part, but you also need to look around and see if people around you needs help. Because one person's actions affect other people. So it is also important to think about the consequences of your actions, not just for you but for all who will be impacted.
6. Complaining, negativity, and blame lead no where. No team functions well in that environment.
7. Sometimes we make things more complicated than they need to be. We often make things more complicated than they need to be just because we make assumptions, or because we've always done it that way. Don't be afraid to try something new - it just might work!
8. When one plan isn't working, adjust the plan and try something else. After all, insanity has been defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
9. Commitment to the team and to the challenge. You fail at 100% of things when you stop trying so stay committed to the challenge, even when you're frustrated. And commit to participating and doing your part to make the team work.
10. Integrity means doing the right thing, even if you can get away with doing something else.
1. There are many ways to accomplish something. It doesn't have to be your way. And if everyone decides it has to be their way, nothing gets done. Sometimes being part of a team means letting go of what you want for what serves the greater good of the team. And let's be clear - when I say team, I really mean anything that involves more than one person - a family, a workplace, and yes, a government and country.
2. Communication requires 3 parts - 1. Sending a message (i.e. talking) 2. Receiving the message (i.e. listening) 3. Understanding the message. And when you don't understand, you can ask questions of clarification. We could avoid a whole lot of drama that way.
3. When you have a limited amount of resources, such as time or money, you need to make a plan to use those resources well. Otherwise you will get out of balance.
4. And on the subject of resources - use the resources that are best for the task at hand, not just whatever resources you think you have at your disposal.
5. Team work requires paying attention to the needs of the people around you. Yes, it is important to focus on yourself and make sure you are doing your part, but you also need to look around and see if people around you needs help. Because one person's actions affect other people. So it is also important to think about the consequences of your actions, not just for you but for all who will be impacted.
6. Complaining, negativity, and blame lead no where. No team functions well in that environment.
7. Sometimes we make things more complicated than they need to be. We often make things more complicated than they need to be just because we make assumptions, or because we've always done it that way. Don't be afraid to try something new - it just might work!
8. When one plan isn't working, adjust the plan and try something else. After all, insanity has been defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
9. Commitment to the team and to the challenge. You fail at 100% of things when you stop trying so stay committed to the challenge, even when you're frustrated. And commit to participating and doing your part to make the team work.
10. Integrity means doing the right thing, even if you can get away with doing something else.
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