Do you want to become a better team member or leader in just 17 weeks? Of course, the answer is yes. After all, we all strive to be the best that we can be. It doesn’t matter whether you are leading a team or just yourself. Which by the way is the hardest person to lead! Before beginning our journey together, let’s start with an understanding of where these are coming from, John C Maxwell wrote The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork in 2001. If you follow me, you may know that my best friend Patch and his son Hunter share tips on teamwork every week. I am jumping on his popularity and going to write about his lessons. Lets face it, he has more followers than me! Hunter is starting with the first 4 laws of teamwork. Whatever law he talks about I am going write about. We could switch places and I talk but he doesn’t have any thumbs, so typing is tricky for him.
Lets jump in and start with law number one. The Law of Significance. says “One is too small of a number to achieve greatness.” No matter what you are doing, it is always more beneficial to have more than one person involved. This law applies especially when it comes to teamwork and leading others. It takes two or more people to make a team and multiple teams to create a successful organization. By having other individuals involved in the process, the group can achieve something that was impossible to do alone. Look back into history, who was a hero of yours? Was it a king or queen that ruled alone? Did the Lone Ranger save the town by himself? NO-the Lone Ranger was never Alone, he could only achieve greatness if Tonto was with him! Right?
Or how about Albert Einstein? Was he alone? Few people know that his wife Elsa, was a physicist herself and supported Einstein’s work by helping him to manage his daily affairs and social engagements. There is always at least one person or a team to help with the success of any individual.
What are the reasons that stop us from using the people around us? John explains four reasons, which I have summarized in my own words.
- Ego – The need to be seen as the leader, or better than others can prevent us from working together effective.
- Insecurity – fear of promoting others due to not feeling adequate in their own shoes
- Naivete – not knowing the benefits of having other people involved, or what skills are missing in their own
- Temperament – not having the patience or discipline to work with others.
If you are able to relate to any of these situations, don’t worry! Having bad days is a common experience and my aim is to support you in becoming the best possible team member or leader.
The takeaway is that by understanding The Law of Significance and the other 16 laws will help us become better team members and leaders. Over the course of 17 weeks, we will learn not only about the laws, but also how to use them in our everyday lives, as well as in teams and organizations.