Working as a team can be an incredibly rewarding experience… or it can be one of the most frustrating experiences. I’m sure you, too, have bad dreams as you remember group projects gone wrong in high school or college.
But maybe, like me, you also have some positive experiences from being part of a group or team.
One of the best personal examples of teamwork came when I was in college and part of a handbell choir. Our director would give us a piece of music, and we would all play the bells according to the ones assigned to us.
Inevitably someone would daydream and miss their notes, others would listen to what was being played and not watch the director, and still others kept on track and played their notes with confidence. It would take a lot of practice for us to get it together and play a beautiful piece of music as it was written and with proper dynamics and timing.
But, we learned more than just the notes and proper tempo along the way. Working in this team setting also taught me:
- Focus on your own responsibility. It was not my job to try and play everyone’s bells. Nor was it my job to tell anyone else what to do. My job was to play the notes I was assigned to the best of my ability. This is also true in life – we mess up and miss out when we lose focus of our own roles and responsibilities.
- Keep your eye on the leader. Music becomes chaos without all the musicians following the director. As Christians, we can learn a lot from that one statement. We need to keep our eyes on God, who is our Shepherd who leads us, provides for us and gives us wisdom.
- We need each other. Playing handbells does not go well if I am the only one playing the four notes assigned to me. (It’s also not as enjoyable to listen to.) I needed everyone to make a complete song. Even if I played my part perfectly (which, if I’m honest, never happened), I needed my choir mates to do their part to make beautiful music. Life is a lot like being part of a choir – we need others in order to make it work well. We can only do so much on our own. We work better together, as we can help each other in personal blindspots, accomplish much more when we use our skills as a team, and we can create a bond as we work towards a united mission.
- Do it with confidence. My bell professor used to tell us that he preferred a confident mistake over a wimpy perfection. That spoke volumes to me (pun intended) to not be shy or hold back, especially when part of a team. Be confident in your abilities, that you are needed and that your voice, work and strengths are vital to the team. This holds true for everyone on the team!
Whether you’ve had good or bad experiences from working with a team, there’s always a lesson to be learned. Maybe it’s noticing how you need to improve when collaborating. Perhaps you’ll notice your natural leadership skills.
I hope you, too, will take some time to reflect on your experience as a team member. You might also find some life lessons along the way!
Heather Anne Kehr is a certified professional Christian life coach with extensive experience working with youth, women and couples in ministry settings. With a calm and nurturing presence, she guides ministry and church leaders to serve out of abundance – not burnout – and foster healthy cultures in their organizations.
Heather Anne is dedicated to helping clients live abundant, purposeful lives. She’ll help you anchor yourself in joy and meaningful relationships with God and others.
Want to learn more about working with Heather Anne? Visit our website to schedule a FREE, 15-minute consultation with her!
