#10- Teamwork

Today's blog post is about teamwork. Teamwork is crucial in team sports, it makes the dream work. It is the most successful and unstoppable way to play a game. It is so important because it increases the capabilities of the whole team. It takes the skill level of each player and combines it into something better. On a lacrosse team it is impossible to be a one man show. There are so many responsibilities that each player in their certain position is required to fulfil. There are defenders for defense, offenders for offense. Those positions can't be filled with one player. There is a goalie and midfielders and even the coach. It really is a group effort that makes a team so strong. There is more to a team than just passing to each other. Being a team is trusting in each other, supporting each other through win and lose, and being committed. Trust is a huge factor to teamwork. In fact, it's pretty much the only factor if you break it down. If you do not trust in the other players on your team with the ball, or to catch a pass, or to be able to score than your team will not work. I have played on several teams and have been on both ends of this situation. I have been the one that no one knows or trusts, and I have been one to not trust others with the ball. The success rate of those teams was not very high. There is only so much you can do when one person is the all-star of the team and is the only one to score. The other team can quickly pick up on how to defend this kind of team too and shut it down super fast. An article called Building Trust Inside Your Team said, “A team without trust isn't really a team: it's just a group of individuals, working together, often making disappointing progress. They may not share information, they might battle over rights and responsibilities, and they may not cooperate with one another. It doesn't matter how capable or talented your people are, they may never reach their full potential if trust isn't present. However, when trust is in place, each individual in the team becomes stronger, because he or she is part of an effective, cohesive group. When people trust one another, the group can achieve truly meaningful goals. So how can you, as a leader, help your team build the trust that it needs to flourish? Think about that definition for a moment. Trust means that you rely on someone else to do the right thing. You believe in the person's integrity and strength, to the extent that you're able to put yourself on the line, at some risk to yourself.Trust is essential to an effective team, because it provides a sense of safety. When your team members feel safe with each other, they feel comfortable to open up, take appropriate risks, and expose vulnerabilities. Without trust there's less innovation, collaboration, creative thinking, and productivity, and people spend their time protecting themselves and their interests – this is time that should be spent helping the group attain its goals.” Support is a big part of teamwork. When your teammates support you on the field it looks something like not getting mad at you for messing up, encouraging hard work, congratulating you on something you did good, etc. Being there for your teammates off the field is what brings you closer as a team and can really show how much you care. Another huge factor in teamwork is commitment. Being committed to your team is necessary. This means that you are there for practice, games,etc. This also means you go all in, you give everything to your sport as best as you can, at practice or at games and even off the field. Cynthia Measom wrote in the article titled, The Importance of Trust Within a Team, ‘’Commitment is an important part of trust. Every team member must commit to helping teammates meet the goals of the team -- no matter if personal or professional obstacles present themselves. For example, a team member who has to take an extended amount of sick leave should be willing to do as much work as possible from home. Team members must be able to rely on one another to do their part of the team's work without fail. Each team member must be cognizant of the detrimental consequences of not following through on commitments.”