Working Together As A Team!

Scripture tells us in Isaiah 41:10- Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.  In those most difficult times, we must remember we are not alone, because God is with us.  But it does not stop there; God works through each of us to ensure that we come together as a team to support and lift each other up.  

God teaches success is achieved when we come together as one body as one team committed to achieving the purpose for which we have been called.  The "we" will always outperform the "me".  Scripture reiterates this message as follows:  

Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor-Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

As iron sharpens Iron, one person sharpens another-Proverbs 27:17

…that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions amongst you 1 Corinthians 1:10

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity-Psalms 133:1

…let us consider how we may spur one another towards love and good deeds-Hebrews 10:24

From him, the whole body joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work-Ephesians 4:16

There are many other scriptures I can cite, but in the end, the message is the same, working in a silo will never lead to the success that can be achieved if we work together as a team. Teamwork is not an easy concept as it requires the ability to come together despite our differences, to understand the value each team member possesses, and to find a way to focus on the strengths while mitigating the challenges.  That is how we make the impossible, possible! 

Five Practices To Keep Your Ego in Check!

I wanted to share this insight I learned a while ago about keeping our egos in check.  The ego is defined as the I or Self of a person, a person as thinking, feeling, and willing.  It is one’s ability to distinguish oneself from others and the objects of one’s thoughts.   The “you” and your ability to keep the “you” in check are critical to how you lead others.  So how do you ensure that the “you” doesn’t turn others off, try applying these five practices to keep your ego in check:

Be respectful, be polite to others even when they are not so polite to you; a servant leader serves despite the difficulties/challenges others bring to the table. 

Be teachable, open to learning from others, you do not know it all even if you think you do. 😊  Read, read, read…There are a lot of great leadership materials that you can read and learn from. 

Listen more, talk less, I make a conscious effort to let others talk and listen to their point of view rather than always interjecting my perspective.  It is not a competition but rather a collaboration towards achieving the best results. Perhaps a challenging approach, but it is doable. 

Appreciate others for who they are if you appreciate each person for who they are, they will be more inclined to appreciate who you are.  Give credit to others for the goals that are achieved versus taking the credit.  Make it about the “We” instead of the “me”.

Relax, particularly when you feel yourself being triggered- take deep breaths and remember you control your emotions, not others.  Even the worst circumstances require that we maintain emotional control to respond intelligently.