The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual." --Vince Lombardi, Pro Football Hall of Fame Coach

Being a part of a team is an interesting proposition. Players come in all sizes and have many different needs and motivations. The goal of many teams is obvious: they want to win, to be the best! But the goals of some teams are obscured—and may be viewed differently by each member of the team.

To be effective, each member of the team needs to understand the reason they are together. To what purpose is the team in existence? Knowing this purpose may exclude some members of the team--they may not want to play. Team members may have personal reasons for playing, unrelated to the goals of the team.

Most recently I have witnessed a group of people working together under the guise of being a team. By all indications, their goals are the same—to strive to be the best: a team that learns together, tries out new strategies, shares confusions and celebrates victories together. Once inside the ‘locker room’ however, I learned that the façade was just that---a flimsy veil to mask the ugliness underneath.

The ‘coach’ of this team thinks that it would be possible for them to win the championship trophy. Unfortunately what the coach refuses to see is that his team is unwilling to read the new playbook or to practice any new formations. Few members of the team try to keep themselves ‘fit’ by updating skills, attending to the latest theories or even by trying out something new.

When queried by the press, a cover-up for the inadequacies of the team is all the coach can offer. He doesn't understand what else he can do to bring the team back to the championship level of long ago, and feels his hands are tied by league rules. Veterans on the team have tenure and cannot be replaced while rookie team members are not respected enough to be listened to.

When I was a kid, my friends and I delighted in choosing the least athletic, but motivated kids to be on our team. We didn’t always win, but we encouraged each other, planned our strategies together and tried our best. We were friends and loved the game we played together. Perhaps adults could learn from the examples of children. Optimistically, I am always hoping this may happen and as always, I am watching with great interest.