Synergy of Teamwork

"Synergy is the highest activity of life; it creates new untapped alternatives; it values and exploits the mental, emotional, and psychological differences between people." - Stephen Covey

In the sports world, a grand spectacle is about to take place in the form of American football. Each year it comes down to two teams clashing against one another in the Super Bowl. This year it will be the Denver Broncos versus the Carolina Panthers. Two teams having made it to the final game with hard work, a bit of luck, talent and of course teamwork.

Our world today is a wired and wireless, full-on technology wonder. It allows us to follow our sports teams, constantly text about them and look for every piece of information possible with the click of a mouse button. The invention of the computer, Internet, smart phones and all the other gizmo and gadgets which changed not only how we follow our sports teams but also our world.

There was also another huge invention which profoundly changed human existence. It made possible our enjoyment of watching sports during the night time. Invented in 1879 by Thomas Alva Edison, the light bulb now seems odd to imagine as a profound change.

But imagine night time without light.

Edison was not the first nor only person who tried to invent an incandescent light bulb. And after successfully bringing light to the night, many considered Edison to be an absolute genius. They marveled at how he alone was able to achieve this great success.

When asked though why he had a team of twenty-one assistants, he would say, "If I could solve all the problems myself, I would."

As it is, we are all brilliant in our individualism. A football team has a collection of individually talented position players. A company organization has individuals who excel at what they do. Yet it is the brilliance, the synergy of teamwork, of people working together which brings success.

In our own life, the connections we make with other people, our spouses, our families, our friendships, when something needs to be solved, collectively they are your support network, your team, which creates success in your life.

"Teams share the burden and divide the grief." - Doug Smith

There is a story told by ex-Navy pilot Charles Plumb who graduated from the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland and went on to fly an F-4 Phantom jet on 74 successful combat missions over Vietnam. It was on his seventy-fifth combat mission, he was shot down and parachuted into enemy territory. He was captured and spent six years in prison from which he survived.

One day, a man approached Plumb and his wife in a restaurant, and said, "Are you Plumb the navy pilot?"

"Yes, how did you know?" asked Plumb.

"I packed your parachute," the man replied.

Plumb was amazed and gratefully said, "If the chute you packed hadn't worked I wouldn't be here today..."

Charles Plumb now refers to this story each time he lectures about his experiences. He refers to it as his realization that each of the anonymous sailors who packed parachutes held the pilots lives in their hands. And yet the pilots never gave these sailors a second thought; never even said hello, let alone said thank you.

Now Plumb asks his audiences, "Who packs your parachutes?..... Who helps you through your life?.... Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually?....... Think about who helps you; recognize them and say thanks."

Life is full of teamwork, an orchestration of people working in each others lives to collectively make a big difference in life. As a team of people moving together, helping each other, we can create great change and great success.

Alone we can create a ripple of water that touches others.

Together as a team we create a wave of success.

Give yourself forgiveness to know we alone can not always do everything. Speaking as a man, we fight with pride and honor in our attempt to master all that happens in our life. Max Depree, former CEO of the Herman Miller office furniture company once said, "Without forgiveness, there can be no real freedom to act within a group."

Take your forgiveness and allow yourself to connect to a team. Take your life and the lives of others to a higher level, maybe even to the Super Bowl.

Stay inspired my friends!