Three Ways Leaders Can Succeed on the "Same Team" Featured
My son's 7th grade basketball season finished last week. I had a great season cheering him on along with the other parents. There's an excitement being part of the crowd recognizing our players for amazing shots or passes. In our enthusiasm and having watched enough basketball games in our tenure, we parents also become sideline coaches and referees to make the game even more engaging!
During a game, it's not unusual for us to shout out plays or point out to the referee mistakes he called. In addition to providing encouragement to our players, we also feel the need to provide direction to them on who's open for a pass, the positive affirmation to shoot the ball, or reminding the players to rebound the ball. One call that brings laughter to the crowd is when two players on the same team come down from the hoop fighting for the ball. At that moment, we are screaming to the players, "Same Team! Same Team!". It's frustrating when two players on the same team are fighting for the same ball. Not only is a lot of time and energy wasted, but there's also potential for an unnecessary foul or injury to take place.
In a school, there's a similar sense of danger when two leaders on the same team, going for the same goal, end up fighting with each other. As educational leaders, it's important for us to recognize and call out ourselves when we are doing this. And, it's also important to know how to effectively work together for success. For high performing teams, it's not a question whether "if" it's going to happen, but "when". Similar to two basketball players getting caught fighting for the same ball, here are Three Ways Leaders Can Succeed on the "Same Team":
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