By Dr. Alan Goldberg, Sports Performance Consultant

THE POWER OF TEAMWORK

By Dr. Alan Goldberg, Sports Performance Consultant

Taken from

If you watch most professional athletes compete, one thing you won't learn a whole lot about is class or character in sports. Too many of our so-called role models, (sorry Sir Charles, you're a role model whether you like it or not!) don't give a hoot about anything except themselves. Tothem, the "team" is nowhere near as important as the "me." "What's in it for me?" "I want more playing time. I should be starting instead of them!" "My average", "My stats", "My salary",etc. With all this "me-whining," it would be easy for aspiring young athletes to miss the boat and never learn how very important "team" really is to success in sports. However, if you look carefully enough at televised sports, you can still find a few class acts, (Mia Hamm and the 1999 US Women's Soccer team, Ken Griffey Jr., Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa, David Robinson, Tim Duncan, John Elway, Jim Kelly, John Stockton, Moses Malone, etc.) who truly understand that being a real winner is not about "me", it's about "we!"

ATHLETE’S LOCKER

"So you really want to impress the coach? Here's how!"

I've worked with thousands of coaches over the years and one of the many things that they've taught me is what is really important to them when theyrecruit an athlete. Far too many athletes mistakenly believe that what a coach primarily wants in his/her players are talented individuals that will help that coach win. This is only true with the newer, less experienced coaches. When you ask the coaches who have been around for a while what they look for in an athlete, they won't just talk about superior skills, unbelievable talent, strength or speed. What they are ultimately more interested in is the athlete's attitude and"coach-ability!"

The successful coaches today want athletes who are coach-able.That is,athletes who listen, who are open to new things, who take constructive criticism, who respect the coach and their teammates, athletes who are alwayslooking for ways to improve, who are "team players" and who choose to deal with their conflicts and problems constructively. The vast majority of Division I college coaches would much rather have an athlete of average ability with above average attitude and coach-ability than a superior skilledathlete who acts like he/she is God's gift to creation. You may frequently see that kind of obnoxious garbage in pro sports, but coaches at every level hate it. If you act like a primadona, then you'll quickly turn your coaches and teammates off.

What I'm saying here is important if you really have dreams of playing on thehigh school varsity, getting that college scholarship or going as far as possible in your sport. Your relationships with your teammates and how well you play together with them is far more important to the coach than just how you perform. The heart of having a winning attitude and being "coach-able" is being a team player. You have to surrender your need for individual glory for the good of the team. You have to get into "we", not "me!" It's very interesting that Michael Jordan never won an NBA Championship until Phil Jackson convinced him that he had to involve his teammates more and that he simply couldn't do it by himself. When Jordan bought into Jackson's program the Bulls took off and a powerful dynasty was born. What's sad for me is that as I talk about the importance of teamwork it seems like such an old fashioned, outdated concept. Don't kid yourself! It's not! You can't be on a winning team unless that group of athletes has learned how to get along and play together.

I've seen too many incredibly talented teams regularly beaten by less skilled opponents because the athletes on the more powerful team didn't get along. They didn't play as a team. They played as agroup of individuals competing against themselves for playing time, the coach's attention and the limelight. The weaker team? Well, they supported each other and worked together! Why is teamwork so important? Very simply because the whole is always greater than the sum of its' parts.Because Together Everyone (always) Achieves More. Winning and success always come from a total group effort. Total Effort All Members! This is what coaches talk about when they discuss "team chemistry." When you support your teammates, are direct and honest with them, readily accept your role on the team even if it means that you don't get as much playing time as someone else, then you're making a significant contribution to awinning effort.

So how coach-able are you? What kind of a team player are you? Are you a teambuilder or team buster? Do you bring your teammates up or drag them down? Areyou the kind of athlete that a coach will look at and say, "I gotta have that kid on my squad", or do you act like your starring role should be preceded by a coronation ceremony and everyone kissing your toes? Let's find out! How many of these behaviors do you recognize as your own?

ATHLETE TEAM-BUSTING BEHAVIORS
•Talking behind others' backs
•Blaming others - Refusing to accept responsibility
•Scape-goating or picking on certain teammates
•Jealousy
•Complaining about playing time
•Having a negative attitude
•Bad mouthing teammates or coach
•Being dishonest in your relationships with coach & teammates
•"I'm the greatest and you're pond scum" attitude
•Yelling at teammates when they make mistakes
•Not communicating directly/openly
•Being defensive
•Dogging it or giving a half-hearted effort
•Being a poor sport / ATHLETE TEAM-BUILDING BEHAVIORS
•Being supportive
•Dealing with conflicts directly and openly
•Being understanding
•Demonstrating respect for coach/teammates
•Being encouraging to teammates when they mess up
•Accepting your assigned role on the team
•Having a positive attitude
•Listening
•Having an open mind
•Understanding that everyone on the team is important for success
•Not allowing team-busting behaviors to occur
•Taking responsibility for your actions
•Going full out/trying as hard as you can
•Being a good sport

Understand that you can't turn team-busting behaviors around until you can label them clearly. You have to first be aware of when you or your teammatesare engaging in them and then put the brakes on. Don't worry if you find thatyou sometimes get into these destructive behaviors, just make an honest effort to stop them! Take some responsibility today, right now to begin to develop a winning attitude. Start practicing team-building behaviors. Be a leader on your team. Be a role model. When teammates get into these "team-busting" behaviors do not join in! Do not turn the other way and pretend that you don't see them happening! Take responsibility! Make your teammates aware that by engaging in these behaviors, they hurt themselves and the entire team. If it feels funny or awkward at first to act this way, do it anyway! Try on these team-building behaviors and before you know it, you'll be catching the coach's eye, making a significant contribution to your teammates and helping your team move towards a championship season!

Homework:

You are to read the article, "The Power of Teamwork." After reading, you will write a response on our Edmodo site to address the following:

1. What is the author's main claim in this article?

2. How does this philosophy apply in the classroom?

3. What team-busting behaviors have been evident in our class? (This might be things you personally struggle with or things you have seen in classmates, but no name calling!)

4. What can you do now to contribute to a winning team in Room B12?

Comment on at least two other classmates written responses this week!