Springtime. Baseball. The smell of the grass. The crack of the bat. The cheers of the crowd. Conjures up great childhood memories for me. Every week I’d head down to the little league field where my dad coached and my brother played first base. Once my youngest sister – three at the time – wanted to be there so bad that she managed to sneak away from the babysitter with our dog and marched herself and Sam right over to the park – not a short distance by the way – where my mom promptly freaked out. But all turned out well.
What I also remember is learning the value of good sportsmanship and teamwork – those lessons which become so important in all areas of life. In fact, many famous, and not so famous, notable quotes about teamwork appear on motivational posters in offices everywhere. You know…
“It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.”
Unknown
“I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. I can’t accept not trying.”
Michael Jordan
“The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual.”
Vincent Lombardi
“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.”
Andrew Carnegie
“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”
Henry Ford
Teamwork requires dedication, coordination and people skills. So, with a nod to teamwork, or lack thereof (and how it applies to IT), here is this week’s mashup.
- Oracle’s Cut-Throat Sales Culture Is Hurting Its Hardware Business
- The State of Information Governance
- Data center outsourcing could cure IT consumerization headaches
- How technology-driven teamwork can fuel social change
I hope these articles helped spark an idea or thought on how to address your personal or business issues with teamwork. For all you F1 fans, this related blog post might be of interest as well: What Formula 1 can teach us about teamwork.
