Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Building a Team? Think Snow!

As a child, I was mesmerized by what I learned about snowflakes. On those rare days of snowfall in the southern United States, I watched millions of tiny flakes falling, knowing that each was unique. Wise adults taught me that people were like snowflakes - each of us a unique individual. I learned to value the differences, even celebrate them.

Yet, when I think of snow now, I rarely focus on individual snowflakes. It's not the crystalline structure of each flake that captures my imagination, but the blankets of silent whiteness, the happiness of packing snow into a jolly snowman, and the power of an avalanche. As unique as each snowflake is, I'm more drawn to the image of all of those snowflakes combined, joined into something bigger.

The still, sparkling surface of snow in moonlight, the round, frozen belly of the snowman, and the awesome power of the avalanche exist because all those snowflakes, different though they may be, stick together. Their elemental nature, what they have in common, binds them. Side by side and moving in the same direction, they combine to become more than the sum of the parts.

And so it is with us. Each of us is unique and that individuality is beautiful and a cause for celebration. But when it's time to get things done, it's the setting aside of our differences and joining together that does the work. We become more than a collection of unique individuals. For all of our uniqueness, we are made of the same stuff, and focusing on our common nature empowers us. We become a team and the job gets done.

If you want to build a powerful, effective team, think snow. Like snowflakes, our differences make us interesting, but it's our sameness that makes us powerful.

Visit : cheap cookware sets Get the full unbiased review of Samsung UN55B8000

No comments:

Post a Comment