Dr. David Rafeedie

Note: This is the last in series taken from the Characteristics of Healthy Team https://davidthecoach.com/blog/2017/11/14/characteristics-of-a-healthy-team.

Characteristic #8: Healthy team members are aware of their limitations, play within themselves, and look to the team for support.

Rod Carew was one of the greatest hitters in baseball. He ruled the 1970s. Six times in the decade he won the batting title. And he could spray the field with his hits. When Rod Carew came to the plate you expected him to get a hit. He was a joy to watch; a real super star with the bat. He ended up in that rare group of players with over 3,000 hits. Check out his stats: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/carewro01.shtml.

But there were certain things he was not known for. As great a hitter as Rod was, he didn’t have a great deal of success within the home run and RBI categories. He was not a home run hitter. After 19 years of playing professional baseball he had less than 100 home runs. And after 19 years he had just over 1,000 RBIs. The RBIs might be because he didn’t have a lot of support from the rest of the team.

But the point I am making is Rod Carew could be counted on in his area of strength. His team and the fans could count on him to play as expected. He knew what he could do and when he went to the plate, he did it. He didn’t try to be a homerun hitter. He had no control over anyone batting ahead of him. Whether there was anyone on base or not, Rod Carew went to the plate and did his job with excellence.

Rod Carew is a great example of knowing your strengths and playing within them. And he is a great example of what a healthy team member on a healthy team looks like. Following his example, the following are good guidelines for “playing within yourself on your team. If you are a leader, these are good guidelines to embed on your team.

What does it mean to “play within yourself?”

• Know your strengths and weaknesses. Maximize your strengths and be secure in who you are and what you bring to the table. Be excellent at what you are good at doing by mastering what you are good at doing.

• Never hesitate to say what you think, your team needs to hear your thoughts. Participate in idea debate. But accept the fact that you do not know everything, and you do not need to. Your teammate’s strengths will compensate for your weaknesses if you are on a well-built team.

• Don’t overreach, that is what the other members of the team are for. When we overreach and work in an area that is not in our “wheelhouse” the product suffers, and the team’s effectiveness is dulled. If it is a well-built team then skills of the individual members of the team should complement each other.

• Rely on your team to make up for areas you are not strong in—lean on them. Allow them to inform your thinking. Let them help you be successful and help them be successful. On a healthy team, when one succeeds, everyone succeeds.

• Try not to function on a regular basis in an area you are not strong. All of us at times must do things or function in a role that are not part of our best skill set. Make the best of that situation by bringing people alongside that have strengths you don’t have and who can compensate for your weaknesses.

A critical factor in playing within yourself is know who you are. Why do you do what you do. What factors play into your behavior and your personality, and how do they impact your skills. Is there an internal barrier or barriers keeping your from maximizing your skills? What is stopping you from having the impact you want to have on and with your team?

We can’t all be superstars like Rod Carew. But we can all learn to “play within ourselves” and have a positive impact on our team and organization. Excelling at what we do requires time and practice, unless of course we are naturals. Most people are not naturals. Most of us must work at excelling. Mastery requires practicing our strengths, improving on them, and learning to use those skills and strengths in new ways.

Coaching is a trans formative relationship that can help you discover and enhance your capacity to succeed. The right coach will empower you to make the kind of impact on your team, organization, and in life in general.  Email me at info@davidthecoach.com, or text with a good day and time to call you, or call me 520-709-1860, and let’s have a conversation to explore a coaching relationship.

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