Why is it so hard for human beings to understand the power of working together, aka, TEAMWORK? What joy do people get out of working against each other instead of working together? Further still, why do people tend to get a kick out of bringing other people down?

You see, this is the problem we have especially Africans. People have this wrong perception that if you help someone achieve something then their achievement takes something out of you. What a warped way of reasoning! Actually, the reverse is true. The more you help people achieve their goals and attain their successes, something positive happens to you too. You grow exponentially.

Like the good book says, when you give, it always comes back to you. When you invest in helping someone else achieve their goals/dreams by showing them the ropes, you automatically become blessed. The blessing may not be monetary or even visible, but it is there. For one, you become a guru as a result of repeatedly helping others. In the process, your knowledge increases,  your self confidence grows and somehow a ripple effect is created all around you in that as you help others grow you grow too. 

Now imagine the power a team would have if each team-member came to the table with a "WE" mentality as opposed to an "I" mentality. Imagine the barriers and boundaries that would be broken, the impossibilities that would be turned into possibilities, the heat (synergy) that would be created by people collectively working together to achieve a common purpose, the wealth of ideas produced by the different individuals and as a result, the strength that would be part and parcel of the team working together. Like Phil Jackson said, "The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team".

So, the next time you are tempted to be selfish and not wanting to be a team-player, remember the words of Helen Keller, "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much"

Remember:

T-ogether

E-veryone

A-chieves

M-ore