Team players are key to success

"Are you a team player?" the police officer asked over the telephone after I had answered it. Caught by surprise and always figuring that everyone knew that I was a "team player," I hesitated before saying, "yes," but had to wonder why the question.

"That's good," said the officer, "we need your services in a special situation." It really was a special situation, and I was pleased that I was counted as a member of the police team.

Most collegiate sports are "team" sports. Yes, there are a large number of really good players in almost every sport these days, but no matter how terrific any player is he or she cannot win without the other team players.

My wife and I love the basketball season, so much so we pay a rather hefty price to be able to see all of the games that are played on any particular day. The only exception is when a game is "blacked out" by the media. Of course, we are partial to the teams we support, but we also are very interested in the other games as well.

Basketball is a team sport, and we have a lot of very talented basketball players this year. However, have you ever noticed that a strong, winning team sometimes tends to "lose it" and loses a game everyone thought they would win? What happened?

It appeared that everyone on the team was playing hard, and the coaches were doing a good job of both leading and inspiring the players. Sure, some people will simply say that all teams have their ups-and-downs, but too often that begs the question -- Were they playing as a "team" or as individuals?

Most team players are smart. Players have to learn hundreds of different plays that may be called at a given moment. Have you noticed football coaches with a "cheat sheet" calling plays on the football sidelines and quarterbacks having plays attached to their forearms?

Football players have to know what play is called in order to execute the correct play. The same is true for basketball players.

So, what's my point? Great teams (notice the emphasis upon the word "teams") win when the players work together to make the proper plays and support one another. Even with all of the great talent present today, and the obvious hard and dedicated work they do on the court, too often the difference between winning and losing is whether they play as a team.

It's a little subtle, but check this out the next time you watch a team that is supposed to win suddenly begin to lose. Teamwork is essential to winning. Great individual play looks great, but it usually doesn't produce a winning season in "team" sports.

And so, I am riding along with one of our police officers when a call comes in that there is an alarm going off in a home somewhere. The call is assigned to another officer, but the officer I am with immediately keys his microphone to announce his number and say, "to back." Why? Because even though a single officer is easily able to handle almost all of the alarm calls that come in, there is always that one time when he or she can't.

The No. 1 question every law enforcement officer I know wants answered is very simple: "Do you have my back?" Are you a "team" player? It's what makes a winning team. And, if an officer refuses to back his or her other officers, I can assure you they will not be with the department very long. It is not just an unwritten rule; it is an inviolate rule.

The same may be said for any number of professions. Have you ever heard a doctor criticize another doctor? Have you ever heard of a senior pastor of a church who hired someone who was always critical and unsupportive? Why do so many major companies always talk about "team" workers?

When Jesus began His public ministry, He chose 12 men to serve as His team.

While individually they may have had doubts, been uncertain about what to do and at times even fearful they would not succeed; it is noteworthy that they supported one another and worked for the goal of proclaiming God's message of love to everyone.

However, there was one of the 12 who was more devoted to the fiscal situation than he was to teamwork. Judas didn't make the team.

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Box is the chaplain for the Bella Vista Police and Fire departments. The opinions expressed in this column don't necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper.

Editorial on 02/25/2015