Three Things I Have Learned About Teamwork From Competitive Swimming
1) Everyone on the Team Plays an Important Role
Throughout my swimming career, I had many different coaches and they all held one belief when it came to swim meets; even if you weren’t racing you had to show up early, warm up with the team and stay until the very end to cheer on your teammates – you were treated just as crucial to the success of the overall team. My coaches instilled in us the belief that everyone plays a role on the team even though it is an individual sport.
I was very fortunate to start my career at Intact Insurance as a Commercial Lines Trainee. This gave me the opportunity to rotate through various commercial departments and learn from each person on the team. This ranged from sitting with underwriting assistants ensuring that our policies were put together perfectly for customers to new business underwriters pricing complex commercial accounts. My time as a trainee taught me to learn from others, ask a lot of questions and to never assume someone's role on a team was less important.
My first few weeks on the job, learning the ins and outs of Intact's back-end systems from dedicated underwriting assistants, proved crucial three years later when I played an important role setting up some of Intact's largest sharing economy accounts. This reinforced the value of learning from each person on a team and not underestimating the type of work that each person contributes.
2) Hold Yourself Accountable
One of my most vivid memories of my time swimming was a 5:30am winter practice. School work was picking up, training was getting tough and there were no meets in the short term to keep us motivated. We completed the warm-up and then my coach told us all to stop and proceeded to stand on the blocks to lecture us while we all shivered in the pool. We must have been slacking as a team, because he went on to say that he didn't want to hear us at the end of the year saying, "IF only I had come to more practices", "IF only I had been more on top of my school work", "IF only I had partied less and ate healthier", then to top it off he yelled "Because you know what IF stands for?.....I FAILED". This was a stark reminder that even if you are on a high performing team, you are still accountable for your own actions.
At work, it is very important that each person understands their role on the team and what they are responsible for. Project managers and team leaders should make sure clear accountability is established from the beginning, so that no one is playing the "IF" game when it is too late. As a team member, once you know your role, it is up to you to ensure that you deliver on your individual accountabilities or ask for help early on if you don't think you are able to. Regardless of your position in a company, your individual role has an impact on the big picture and you need to hold yourself accountable for delivering on that.
3) Don’t Underestimate the Impact Your Positive Attitude Has on the Team
I remember a swim meet that started with no one performing well. It was an important meet and you could see that our coaches were starting to lose enthusiasm. Then out of nowhere someone had a great swim - they had been off on their own prepping by themselves for their race and weren't drawn into the negative mood surrounding the rest of the team. This was all that was needed to turn the meet around; our attitudes changed and team members started winning race after race and getting best times. All it took was that one person’s great swim to shift the entire team's attitude.
At work, sometimes we are having a bad day or we have to do something that we don't necessarily enjoy doing. It is important to stay positive during these times, because even if we are not directly working with someone on something, our attitudes can make a big difference in the team performance as a whole. The impact of a positive attitude on those around you should not be underestimated; it's not always what but how you do something that can drive results for a team.
Cashier at Giant Tiger
3yAwesome article Danielle. There is so much value in teamwork that I feel a lot of people are missing in today's work world. Respect for others, listening to others opinions, being kind and helpful to everyone, inclusion, working hard to help the team be successful, and yes, there are many more. Teamwork brings everyone together, a happy team, a productive team, a successful team. Your article made me smile, Thank you.
Promotions | Workwear Branding | Uniform Branding/Embroidery | Corporate Branding | Corporate Uniform | Laser Engraving
6yThe perfect post to read about teamwork, thank you!
Retired Vice Principal of Bishop Carroll High School at Calgary Catholic Schools
7yThat is a terrific reflection on your life journey Danielle, well done!
Co-Founder and Head of Creative at Rennacker Studio, Lead Product Design Instructor at Flatiron School, and Mentorship Chair for AIGA Arizona
7y#3 is so incredibly important!
National Director, Appraisals at Intact Prestige
7yWonderful article, Danielle!! I think the conclusion sums up the whole thing: A positive attitude has great influence. Thank you for sharing!