Teamwork makes the dream work! And this statement is especially true in marriage.
As I write this post, Rob and I are driving toward Atlanta, Georgia – and we followed the steps you’ll read later in this post to get there as a team – from dream to celebration. (Well… we haven’t celebrated yet – that comes in a few days.)
What’s the meaning of the Value of Teamwork? Taken from Robert’s research defining 400+ Values, it’s:
Teamwork – cooperative effort of two or more people for a common purpose or goal.
Ah, yes. Goals. What are your marriage goals? Do you work with a co-operative effort toward those goals? (Even if they’re spontaneous?)
5 Steps to Make the Teamwork… Work!
- Decide. You can’t work as a team without agreeing on a course or direction. Use your shared Values as a signpost and rumble strips as you’re deciding.
- Develop. Make your plan. Even if it’s on-the-fly, or last minute, be strategic and know the steps you need to take. The more often you work as a team, the easier it’ll become.
- Divide. Divide and conquer. Know your roles, know your strengths and take action toward the goal. Yes, working together is sometimes best, but teamwork is as much about working on the goal separately, using your strengths toward the common purpose.
- Dig. Dig in and dig deep – be persistent. Don’t let the first (or fifteenth) obstacle derail your efforts. There will be roadblocks. The way might be slowed by dips or humps. You might need to take a detour. Don’t give up – DIG in. Be stubborn about your goal.
- Done. Celebrate when you reach your goal! Every completed goal needs a bit of “hooray” – and what’s better than a bit of celebration with your spouse? 😉
Here’s our video highlighting this concept of a “Dream Team”
Teamwork in Action
I was checking my email this morning, lying in our bed inside our little house on wheels. Robert was in the chair in the other part of our 282 square feet – he was finishing up his quiet time (reading the Bible and praying.) In one of my emails was a note about an event…
The email was reminding me about a blogging conference. In Atlanta. (We were currently in Raleigh, North Carolina so that’s 420 miles away.) The problem? The conference started the next day.
Now, I’ve always wanted to go to a blogging conference – writing and blogging is what I do! And this conference was one that I’d signed up to receive information from – I did want to go. However… at such a late date, there were some barriers – most people don’t try this at the last moment. The “buts” started their litany in my head…
- but it starts tomorrow…
- but it is in Atlanta – 7 hours away…
- but I’m grandparenting Theo tomorrow…
- but Rob is not naturally a spontaneous person…
- but money is very tight…
- but Rob has a conference call he’s leading tomorrow…
- but I don’t have any business cards. (See, I was going through all the negatives…)
My first reaction was to just give up. It seemed too hard – too many obstacles. I mean… who does this at the last minute??? Then I prayed about it because that’s a normal reaction when I don’t know what to do. And the next thing was talk to Rob – because we are a team. We talk through everything.
This was where the 5 Steps I listed above took over:
- we needed to decide if this was a viable endeavor…
- we needed to make a plan – to know what was needed to make our trip possible…
- we needed to take action in areas of our strength, and take action on our plan
- we needed to solve the issues that arose (and there were a few)…
- and now we are on our way. Halfway there as I’m writing this. We will celebrate at the conclusion of the event, when I’ve met my goals for the conference.
Decide + Develop + Divide + Dig + Done = TEAMWORK!
We used the power of teamwork to make a dream into a goal, and then took action to make it happen. In 2 hours.
It took two hours from the moment we decided we would make this work (at 10AM) until we were on the road to Atlanta at noon. We arrived in Atlanta before Office Max closed, and were able to pick up my business cards – which we had ordered online before we left Raleigh. Now I’m all set for the Blogging conference on Thursday and Friday. (I even brought a few copies of my book so I can give them away if anyone is interested.)
Better yet – I can meet other bloggers in person, introduce myself and begin some online friendships, and learn lots from the speakers.
Teamwork made it happen!
I’m putting these posts – “A to Z” Values – all under the FAMILY portion of this site. Why? Every one of these Values words will be a blessing to each spouse – but more than that… they’ll benefit your whole family!
Imagine if you are motivated to work as a team – what kind of impact will that have on your family? On your children? I’m guessing that your children and family will only benefit as they watch the two of you standing together.
This is part of an Instagram challenge for July 2016 – A to Z and a few numbers… ( check out our Instagram account – I’ll be posting photos from the conference,) These posts have become a series of Values posts! The series can be found on the PAGE – 27 Values to Enrich your Marriage (BTW – If you’re reading this post before the end of July 2016, then the page isn’t complete… I’m still writing! 😉 )
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