BARRIERS TO TEAM SUCCESS

Knowing the potential of teams, why do some people still insist on doing things all by themselves? Outlined here, are some of the reasons for such endeavors:

1) Ego

Few people are fond of admitting that they can’t do everything, yet that’s a reality of life. “It marks a big step in your development when you come to realize that other people can help you do a better job than you could do alone,” – Andrew Carnegie.To do something really big, you gotta let go of your ego, and get ready to be part of a team!

2) Insecurity

Only secure leaders can empower others! Insecurity, rather poor judgement or lack of intelligence, most often causes leaders to surround themselves with weak power. And fail to promote teamwork because they feel threatened by other people. “The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him,”- Niccolo Machiavelli.

Insecure leaders usually fail to build teams because;
either they want to maintain control over everything for which they are responsible, or they fear being replaced by someone more capable.

In either case, leaders who fail to promote teamwork undermine their own potential and erode the best efforts of the people with whom they work.

3) Naiveté

Leaders, who fail to become team builders, naively underestimate the difficulty of achieving big things. As a result, they try to get to go it alone. Thus, they learn too late and never accomplish their goals. “If I had it to do all over again, I’d get help.”

4) Temperament

Some people aren’t very outgoing and simply don’t think in terms of team building and team participation. As they face challenges, it never occurs to them to enlist others to achieve something.

Why take the journey alone when you can invite others along with you? If you do everything alone and never partner with other people, you create huge barriers to your own potential. It takes a team to do anything of lasting value. “People have been known to achieve more as a result of working with others than against them,”- Dr. Allen Fromme.



Excerpted From: the 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork, John C. Maxwell
Copyright 2007 Shaques Publishing Inc