Three Feet from Gold
Module 12
Teamwork Reading Assignments • Review pages 63-71, 135-145 of Three Feet From Gold • Read any additional selections your coach recommends:
Primer S e s s i o n O b j e c t i v e s
M a s t e r S e s s i o n O b j e ctives
In this session you will learn to:
In this session you will learn to:
• Analyze past teams and then create your ideal team • Use Reciprocity, Generosity, Fair Treatment, Courtesy, and a Willingness to Serve to build Teamwork within any group you lead
• Work through the process of Consensus among team members
Three Feet from Gold
Concept Summaries Introduction As Richard Cohn told Greg, “collaboration is essential to create miracles.” There’s no better way to sum up the power of true Teamwork. Co-operation is the very foundation of all successful leadership. Truett Cathy told Greg to “focus on your people more than your profits” and he attributed the resounding success of Chik-fil-A to that practice. John Donne, the famous English poet who penned the words, “No man is an island.” We are not only surrounded by humanity, but we also have common concerns, interests and needs that bind us, connect us, and define our human experience. Those who know how to use Teamwork and operate within the spirit of cooperation will survive the toughest challenges, overcome the greatest odds, and rise to the highest heights. As you’ll explore in Module 18 of this program, Teamwork is the basis for an effective Mastermind Alliance. Your ability to lead a Mastermind will greatly depend on your sense of how to harness the power of Teamwork. And remember this about Teamwork within your Mastermind Alliance: A true leader will take others where they would not have gone by themselves.
The Cooperative Spirit We’ve all heard the adages “there is strength in numbers” and “integrity through unity. Real cooperation takes work. At times it requires members of a group to be humble—willing to forego their personal egos for the advancement of the group. Cooperation, like love and friendship, is something one receives by giving. The cooperative spirit is a gift that can be offered to another human being. The road
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Three Feet from Gold leading to personal achievement has many fellow travelers. You will need their cooperation and they will need yours. Your present success and future success depend upon your ability to join hands with others.
Consensus And Reciprocity Two important concepts that are related to Teamwork and the cooperative spirit are consensus and reciprocity. Consensus means to arrive at a point of agreement. This is obviously a group function. When groups have had a great brainstorming session, the next step is to categorize and prioritize the ideas discussed. Doing this effectively will require group consensus. The group decides as a group. those decisions are consistently better and more appropriate than if one individual had assumed the role of dictator and decided for the group what action should be taken by the group. A group is more than a number of people sitting in a circle, playing on a team or working in an organization. A group takes on its own identity—with its own ground rules and operating rules. The concept of reciprocity relates to each individual’s unique capacity to give and receive within the structure of the group. Reciprocity can be described as the “give and take process.” At the center of this concept is the belief that each group member has a particular gift. That gift may be a special talent, penetrating insight, abundance of energy, or strength of will that can be fed into the group and strengthen the entire group. Conversely, each member can receive the gifts of others and be strengthened by the influence of those participating in the group. Reciprocity means I will give something to you, and you will give something back to me. The setting for such giving and receiving is within the structure of an organized group— characteristically cooperative in spirit and bound by common goals and interests.
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Three Feet from Gold
Two Sides of Cooperation Willing cooperation produces enduring power; forced cooperation ends in failure. Consider this: a lack of harmony is often the cause of missed opportunities, missed goals and utter failure. Friendly cooperation always pays off, because this sort of Teamwork provides one with a Positive Mental Attitude that does not allow obstacles to get in the way. In an environment of friendly cooperation, obstacles are merely stepping-stones to opportunity. Teamwork in a spirit of friendliness costs little in time and effort, but it pays huge dividends in time, money and success. This is the spirit that lights the path to success and happiness for all who adopt it. It is the spirit that leads to the attainment of the twelve riches of life. 1. Positive Mental Attitude 2. Sound Health 3. Harmony in Human Relationships 4. Freedom from Fear 5. Hope of Achievement 6. The Capacity for Faith 7. Willingness to Share Your Blessings 8. Labor of Love 9. An Open Mind on All Subjects 10. Self-discipline 11. The Capacity to Understand People 12. Economic Security Friendly cooperation between as few as two people can produce a whole chain reaction. It can set into motion the forces that benefit not only themselves, but also millions of others. Likewise, generosity, fair treatment, courtesy and a willingness to serve are qualities that pay high dividends wherever they are ap-
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Three Feet from Gold plied in human relationships. They represent values that do not show up in the inventories of physical assets, but they often prove to be of greater value than physical assets. These are the factors that carry a business to safety in times of emergency. Any business whose management has the foresight to adopt a policy that engages management, employees and its public in a spirit of Teamwork, provides itself with an insurance policy against failure.
Teamwork And The Magic Of Momentum Momentum is a quality of motion. It is a forward movement. It is winning in spite of the opposition’s strength. It is winning against the odds. It is an impetus toward victory created and unleashed through the cooperative spirit known as Teamwork. The individual attempting to win at life or the organization attempting to realize great gains needs to understand the reality of momentum. It is Teamwork, created through common interest and goals, which generates the cooperative spirit making victory possible. In the life of every person or organization, there are times when an added power is needed to carry one through seeming failure to the point of victory. The following three qualities are necessary if momentum or a movement toward victory is to occur. 1. A turning point must be reached. The team must Act As If, recognize opportunity and immediately seize it. 2. A contagious Enthusiasm must be present. Everyone must get aboard the victory train. Ultimate victory requires a total team effort. The leadership and all team members must be overtaken by an Enthusiasm that forces them to keep on keeping on—even against great odds.
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Three Feet from Gold A contagious Enthusiasm is required if a group is to become “fired up” and prepared for victory. 3. Everyone must believe victory is possible. It does little good if only the leader or a few team members believe victory is possible. Victory, if it is to be realized, requires team effort—Teamwork. The team must catch a vision of victory. They must say to themselves, “We can win. We can win,” and then translate it into action that affirms, “We are winning. We are winning.” Ultimately they have to think in their heads, “We have won! We are winners!” They need to carry Acting As If to the ultimate level. Winners win because they believe winning is possible. Frequently, they win against great odds because they enthusiastically jump on opportunities as they arise. With unity and full cooperation, comes momentum. Momentum will carry a group, a team, a business through failure to the point of victory. Underdogs can become winners when they believe themselves capable of winning and are willing to commit themselves to victory.
What Happens Without Teamwork When your group doesn’t have Teamwork in doing a job, it creates a stressful condition that ultimately tears the group apart and leads to failure. Positive attitude dwindles and dries up. Stress takes over. Then the blame game begins. Without true Teamwork it is almost impossible to experience the hope of achievement. Without hope, there can be no faith, no enthusiasm, no going the extra mile. Hopelessness and frustrations give way to bitter feelings against those we think are hindering us—and that often turns the team members on each other. Lack of Teamwork is most likely due to a closed mind on the part of some or all of the people involved. This causes a negative attitude which in turn causes negative reactions, negative feelings, negative work habits, and all-in-all, a negative outlook.
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Three Feet from Gold When Teamwork does not exist it may be due largely to lack of discipline. To be undisciplined is to be unorganized. This leads to unwillingness to take or follow instructions and will be detrimental to a Mastermind team, group, or alliance. Lack of Teamwork may indicate that group members lack the capacity to understand people. Being empathetic to the needs and situations of fellow team members is vital for a team to succeed. If members cannot understand each other or understand each other’s motivations, they open the door to misunderstandings, judgmental attitudes, egos, blame, and other barriers. The full work capacity of the entire team is in jeopardy and may never be reached.
Teamwork’s Different Faces Teamwork differs from the Master Mind Alliance principle in that it is based on the coordination of effort without necessarily embracing the principle of a Definite Major Purpose or harmony. Both are important essentials of the Master Mind. There are two types of Teamwork: 1. Willing Teamwork based upon voluntary coordination of effort and free from all forms of coercion. 2. Unwilling Teamwork based upon fear or some form of pressing necessity. The difference between these types of Teamwork is so great and so important that it should be emphasized. It is this difference that determines whether any form of cooperation shall be permanent and constructive or only temporary and destructive. Willing Teamwork is the only type that leads to constructive ends. It is the only type that sustains the power of people through coordinated efforts. People are often forced to cooperate in carrying out a given plan or purpose, sometimes out of economic necessity, sometimes out of fear. Most people, however, do not continue their cooperative effort any longer than the time required for them to solve a problem that created the necessity.
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Three Feet from Gold Teamwork produces power, but the whether the power is temporary or permanent depends upon the motive that inspires the cooperation. If the motive is one that inspires everyone to get onboard and to cooperate willingly, the power produced by this type of Teamwork will endure as long as the spirit of willingness prevails. If the motive is one that forces people to cooperate, be it fear or any other negative motive, the power produced will be only temporary and will quickly pass away. Willing Teamwork leads to the attainment of the power to reach commonly held goals. It is a priceless asset that you can acquire in direct proportion to your giving. Harmonious Teamwork is participation, cooperation, innovation, facilitation and sharing the credit.
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Three Feet from Gold
Primer Session Assignments: Discuss with your mentor which of the following assignments would best suit your needs, progress, and development:
____ Ideal Team(s) ____ Past Team(s) ____ Reciprocity ____ Generosity ____ Fair Treatment ____ Courtesy ____ Willingness to Serve
Master Session Assignments: Discuss with your mentor which of the following assignments would best suit your needs, progress, and development:
____ Consensus
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Primer Session
Exercises
YO U R IDEAL TEAM What team(s) have you observed operating on the highest level? In other words, what team(s) have you watched and thought, “I wish that were my team.”
What about that team (or those teams) do you admire?
What does that team (or do those teams) do well?
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Primer Session
Exercises
PA ST TEAM(S) When have you experienced teamwork on the highest level? Describe the experience below, including who was on the team, what was the team’s Definite Major Purpose, what the team was ultimately able to accomplish, and why the team was so efficient: Who was on the team?
What was the team’s Definite Major Purpose?
What the team was ultimately able to accomplish
Why the team was so efficient?
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Primer Session
Exercises
PA S T TEAM(S) (cont) When have you experienced teamwork on the highest level? Describe the experience below, including who was on the team, what was the team’s Definite Major Purpose, what the team was ultimately able to accomplish, and why the team was so efficient: Who was on the team?
What was the team’s Definite Major Purpose?
What the team was ultimately able to accomplish
Why the team was so efficient?
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Primer Session
Exercises
PA S T TEAM(S) (cont) When have you experienced teamwork on the highest level? Describe the experience below, including who was on the team, what was the team’s Definite Major Purpose, what the team was ultimately able to accomplish, and why the team was so efficient: Who was on the team?
What was the team’s Definite Major Purpose?
What the team was ultimately able to accomplish
Why the team was so efficient?
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Primer Session
Exercises
R ECIPROCITY Giving back to those who give to you is a powerful concept. In cultures all over the world, it is a common (yet profound) way to build trust and alliances. Define how reciprocity will work in your team or Mastermind. What processes will you and your team undergo to establish the right balance of reciprocity—what the group’s Definite Major Purpose will give them versus what they will have to give up or contribute?
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Primer Session
Exercises
G ENEROSITY Generosity means giving more than is required or necessary. When you are generous with people, they begin to owe you a figurative debt. When you give generously but do not demand anything from other people or express a sense of entitlement, you will receive tenfold back. That is the promise of the true spirit of generosity. List 10 people in your life with whom you can be generous in the coming month. Describe how you will be generous—with your time, your resources, and/or your support:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
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Primer Session
Exercises
FA I R TREATMENT We are often most aware of justice when we feel someone—or something—has been unjust toward us. Have you ever felt drawn to someone and discovered it was primarily because his or her definition of “fairness” seemed to match yours? When you treat people with fairness and respect, you will draw more and more people to your cause. Consider a situation in your past when you felt you were dealt an unfair deal—when someone (or something) treated you unfairly. Describe the experience, namely what happened and how you felt:
Now consider a situation in which you didn’t expect fairness, but were relieved when it was dealt to you. Describe the details of the experience:
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Primer Session
Exercises
COURTESY Being courteous means something different to everybody. Define what you feel it means to be courteous:
How can you go the extra mile this week and inspire courteousness among your team members? List at least 3 ways: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
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Primer Session
Exercises
W I L L I N GNESS TO SERVE There is a difference between forcing team cooperation and inspiring cooperation through a willingness to serve. Based on your observations, what inspires each member of your team to serve willingly—what encourages them to go the extra mile for the team in a spirit of generosity?
What can you do this week to inspire each member of your team to feel that sense of willingness? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
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Master Session
Exercises
C ONSENSUS Consensus is more than just taking a vote and then going with the majority. Consensus is about gaining the consent of everyone on the team—arriving at a form of negotiated unanimity. This means making enough concessions and win-win agreements between all members of a team or Mastermind so that everyone feels they can truly be onboard. Consider an issue that causes dissension among members of your Mastermind. Describe the issue:
Describe the different sides of the issue (at least two): 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
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Master Session
Exercises
C O N SENSUS (cont) Now brainstorm one thing that those different sides have in common: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. This is your common ground.
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Master Session
Exercises
C O N SENSUS (cont) Now use the common ground to build consensus with each side/member of the Mastermind: Ask “How can everyone win?”
Ask, “How can everyone agree?”
Ask, “How can everyone compromise fairly?”
Ask, “How can everyone gain from the Definite Major Purpose and overcome this issue?”
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