Building the Team

The song, "In Your Hands," by the band Unspoken, reminds us that we need to put everything in the Lord's hands and trust that He will take care of it. There will be times that He will call us to act, but we must remember that He is in control, and to let Him be in control of our situations. "Every sorrow, I leave it in Your hands. Every sickness, I leave it in Your hands. All my failures, I leave 'em in Your hands. Amen. I can leave it in Your hands...Every promise, I leave it in Your hands. Every healing, I leave it in Your hands. And my future, I leave it in Your hands. Amen. I can leave it in Your hands." These lyrics tell us that we should not only turn to God in our times of need, but also when we prosper. He is God all the time and is beside us always. He has promised to never leave us and to never forsake us! (See Deuteronomy 31:6 and Hebrews 13:5.)

Jesus said, "'Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.'" (John 15:13, NIV)

 Building a team and the sense of teamwork and cooperation is essential to the success of a group, organization, etc. Maxwell says, "Teams that don't bond, can't build." No single individual can do everything on his or her own. Ecclesiastes 4:12 tells us, "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." (NIV) It comes down to strength in numbers.

In an effort to build camaraderie, you should schedule social activities away from the workplace. Maxwell says that such activities help individuals bond together as a team. And I agree. Sometimes it is necessary to get away form the daily work routine and usual atmosphere so that you can relieve stress and come together in a different setting.

I recommend planning such activities about once a month. Following are some activities that I suggest.

• Have a cookout.
• Go bowling.
• Go to professional development conferences.
• Go out to dinner.

Even simple events can allow team members to socialize and build stronger, lasting relationships. Furthermore, even though professional development conferences may be held for work-related topics, there are still activities therein that can help build teamwork. And even more than that, if such an event is overnight, you can plan other social activities during times that the conference is not in session.

Maxwell asks, "How do you help your team bond?"

When I was President of the OSUIT chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the Official International Honor Society of the Two-Year College, I planned cookouts and game nights for my officers and members. Food has a funny way of bringing people together. And after we ate, and sometimes even before, we would play games. Most of the time we played Catch Phrase. That game requires groups to work together to come up with answers. Individuals must learn to communicate effectively, as well as learn how to understand what someone is trying to say. I highly recommend it for team building!

It is sometimes hard to remember, especially for me, that it's not all about work. It is healthy and oftentimes necessary to get away and just have fellowship with one another. As you plan your activities, make sure that they will provide opportunities for the team to work together, not just sit and do something as individuals. Plan events that make them come together.