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One more good anecdote on teamwork from Idea-Bank

The sin (and danger) of excessive pride (or an excessive ego) is admirably demonstrated in this simple fable:

A frog asked two geese to take him south with them. At first they resisted; they didn’t see how it could be done. Finally, the frog suggested that the two geese hold a stick in their beaks and that he would hold on to it with his mouth.

So off the unlikely threesome went, flying southward over the countryside. It was really quite a sight. People looked up and expressed great admiration at this demonstration of creative teamwork.

Someone said, “It’s wonderful! Who was so clever to discover such a fine way to travel?”

Whereupon the frog opened his mouth and said, “It was I,” as it plummeted to the earth.

Teamwork is one of the key differentiator for success in today’s corporate environment. People work in teams and need interpendence to deliver results. The group dyanmics, ego, comparison etc come into play.

The best example of Teamwork and Results is Australian Cricket Team. They have made a habit of winning. And they win by outclassing the competition by miles. They aside their huge egos and differences while on the field. The only purpose, the only mission, the only attitude is Winning. The team work in the Australian Cricket is indeed worth emulating.

I came across a few quotations on Teamwork from a commercial site called Idea-Bank.

Michael Jordan on Teamwork

There are plenty of teams in every sport that have great players and never win titles. Most of the time, those players aren’t willing to sacrifice for the greater good of the team. The funny thing is, in the end, their unwillingness to sacrifice only makes individual goals more difficult to achieve. One thing I believe to the fullest is that if you think and achieve as a team, the individual accolades will take care of themselves. Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.

Michael Jordan (1963- )
American professional basketball player with the Chicago Bulls in “I Can’t Accept Not Trying”
Harper San Francisco, 1994

Geese & Teamwork
Have you ever watched a flock of geese flying in their traditional “V” formation, heading for Canada?

Two engineers learned that each bird, by flapping its wings, creates an uplift for the bird that follows. Together, the whole flock gains something like 70 percent greater flying range than if they were journeying alone.

Narayan Murthy is one person I immensely admire. He has played a key role in putting India on world map and inspired millions of Indians. And he created several millionaires in the way. A living example of living a value-driven life. We have heard several anecdotes of his greatness.

Today Infy is the flag-bearer of Indian IT Industry and has perfected the art of consistently exceeding investor targets. It has always believed in the adage : under-promise, over-deliver. One of the many examples of Narayan Murthy’s imprint on the company.

Yesterday’s The Economic Times and Rediff carried an extract of Narayan Murthy’s speech at New York University. The last paragraph is a real gem. True essence of spiritualism.

I believe that we have all at some time eaten the fruit from trees that we did not plant. In the fullness of time, when it is our turn to give, it behooves us in turn to plant gardens that we may never eat the fruit of, which will largely benefit generations to come. I believe this is our sacred responsibility, one that I hope you will shoulder in time.