Teamwork is integral in every aspect of our lives, whether it be at work, at home, or in sports. We all belong to a team, and one of the crucial aspects of building a team is understanding that the goal is more important than the role. This is also known as “The Law of the Big Picture,” one of the 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork by John C. Maxwell. In this blog post, we will explore a historic event that demonstrated the power of teamwork when the goal was emphasized over the role.
Our story takes us back to 1969, and the Apollo 11 Mission, when NASA sent astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to land on the moon. This incredible feat required an enormous amount of teamwork and coordination from thousands of individuals, each with their specific function and role. However, there was a moment during the mission when the goal became more important than the role.
The Lunar Module Eagle was supposed to land on the surface of the moon with a specific amount of fuel, but due to unforeseen circumstances, they were running low on fuel. At this point, Neil Armstrong knew they had to think outside the box and quickly determine a solution. He decided to take control of the module and manually land it on the surface of the moon. Armstrong and Aldrin were successful, and they landed safely on the moon.
This is a perfect example of “The Law of the Big Picture” when the goal became more important than the role. At that moment, it didn’t matter who was supposed to land the module and who was supposed to control it. What mattered was that they achieved their goal of safely landing on the moon.
This isn’t just limited to the Apollo 11 mission. In our everyday lives, this law applies everywhere. For example, when we are working on a project at work, we must focus on the end goal instead of just our roles. If we all work together and prioritize our end goal, we will achieve it faster and more efficiently.
However, this does not mean that roles do not matter or that individual efforts are not important. Roles and the efforts of individual team members are crucial to achieving the end goal. What “The Law of the Big Picture” emphasizes is that individuals should prioritize the end goal rather than their individual roles.
To sum it up, “The Law of the Big Picture” emphasizes the importance of prioritizing the end goal over individual roles. This law has been demonstrated time and time again, from the Apollo 11 mission to our everyday work lives. When individual team members focus on the end goal and work together towards it, success is more attainable. Teamwork is all about collaboration and cooperation and working together to achieve success – and that’s when the magic happens!