Team - Spelled Pronunciation [teem]
1. A number of persons forming one of the sides in a game or contest: a football team.2. A number of persons associated in some joint action: a team of advisers.
Courtesy - http://www.mgcpuzzles.com Remember the saying – There is no I in a team. Something I always believed when I was allocated to assignments in a large group or a small one. I have worked for various modules and teams. More recently, in 2006, I was in Brussels, working for a leading telecommunication firm, and had my own set of responsibilities and challenges. Working at client-site locations is a treat in itself. My organization composed of all kinds of people: men, women, people who speak a different language, who have different origins or beliefs, people with different levels of education or work experience, people with similar or completely contrasting personalities, as well as people with physical or mental disabilities, etc. In other words, it was very mixed, heterogeneous and diverse.
I worked in a team which comprised of executives, managers, engineers, business analysts and test analysts coming from different parts of the world. I have always believed that, the strength of the team is each individual member, and the strength of each individual is the team. So with this notion, I tried working, interacting and building a team, where I could extract not only the skill but also an openness in one’s thinking. I was always inspired by my senior client manager – he is known as Godfather in Dutch. His soft skills, ability to perform under toughest conditions, stress free attitude were some of the qualities I would always like to emulate. Apart from these, speaking a common language was of utmost importance. Although I struggled initially, I slowly devised strategies to manage diversity including - clarity of communications, holding meetings, leqrning client languages and supervising effectively. The participation of different types of people in a project ensured colorful, innovative and surprising ideas. In dealing with the diverse team, I was required to be flexible in changing priorities of work and life balance depending on deadlines for projects where as my French, Dutch and British counterparts gave equal priority to both at all times. As a result, strong emphasis was placed on quality processes and achievable deadlines. I adapted to different demands of diverse managers while accommodating varying needs of other team members. In this process I have worked with around 12 client-side managers within a span of 31 months while in Brussels.
My workplace helped me greatly in modifying my attitudes as for the first time I was with peers from countries which I had only read about. My exposure to the various different nationalities in Brussels built on my foundation of cultural awareness. I was in the midst of a swarm of expatriates who had formed a community so tight that I could live with all the luxuries of a technologically modern lifestyle. I cherished this experience which was actually a tremendous confident builder. All of these experiences have taught me to work as a team member apart from instilling in me a great sense of confidence along with a better understanding of people around me.
One video which has motivated me time and again, be it on the football or the cricket ground, at workplace or any place under the roof with set of people, is the one from 'Any Given Sunday'. I am a great fan of Al Pacino ever since I first laid my hands on the Godfather and the Scareface videotapes. Gosh when helluva of an actor. What this speech teaches you is that, no matter how strong an opponent or work situation be, no matter how much people bring you down to your knees, you have to believe and fight. And fight back well with your team. So stand up and keeping moving forward. Every inch of a football or cricket field, or every release in the project is driven only by one factor, the team. It’s like a bead, one break and all scatters. So stand up to fight as a team as die as individuals. Remember - Together Everyone Achieves More (TEAM).
