Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus . . . He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him . . . On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. Acts 18:24, 26-27 (NIV)
As people who care about each other grow together and work toward a common goal, they get to know each other better. They begin to recognize and appreciate each player’s unique qualities. And that leads to the development of a team “fit.”A good team fit requires an attitude of partnership. Every team member must respect the other players. They must desire to contribute to the team, and they must come to expect a contribution from every other person. Above all, they must learn to trust each other. Trust makes it possible for people to rely on one another. It allows them to make up for each other’s weaknesses instead of trying to exploit them. It enables one team member to say to the other, “You go ahead and do this task because you are better at it than I am,” without shame or manipulation. Trust allows the people on the team to begin working as a single unit, to begin accomplishing the things that they together recognize as important.
Overcoming Poor Morale
The people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned . . . pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people . . .Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived. Numbers 21:7, 9
Nothing is more unpleasant than being on a team when nobody wants to be there. When that is the case, the team is usually negative, lethargic, or without hope. If you find yourself in that kind of situation, then do the following:
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Investigate the situation – The place to start is by addressing what the team is doing wrong. Begin by fixing what’s broken.
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Initiate belief – The only way for a team to change is if people believe in themselves. As the leader, you must initiate that belief.
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Create energy – The desire to change without the energy to change just frustrates people. To bring a greater level of energy to the team, you need to be energetic. Eventually, your energy will spread.
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Communicate hope – The greatest need of players at this stage is hope. Help them to see the potential of the team.
When morale is low, the only way to get the ball rolling is to start pushing it yourself.
[tags]Leadership ,Coming Together, Team, Personal Development, Team player, Common Goal, Bible, God, John C Maxwell, Leader, Skills, Poor Morale[/tags]