No "i" in Team

I heard an interesting quote today from the mouth and mind of Michael Jordan. It was something to the effect of, "There is no 'i' in team, but there is in win." He makes an interesting point. I had a conversation yesterday, which preceded much of our group conversation today, about learning to work primarily in our strength. The point that very well-rounded players make for good players on an average team, but they will never win a championship, also came into play.

I think we need to figure out what our strengths are and then work in them, not go around figuring out how we can make our weaknesses less weak. This of course is no excuse for mediocrity, laziness, or sin issues but it does raise an interesting, sometimes counter-cultural issue.

As we learn to live and work in our strengths it helps the body, or community. It allows others to serve in their strengths. It allows us to step up for one another, come alongside one another, and be increasingly effective. And happy for that matter.

Back to the "well-rounded players make for good players on an average team, but they will never win a championship" thing: if we will allow people to play in their strength, to serve and work in the "position" of their strengths then well-rounded TEAMS can be formed. Placing people in something less than where their passion, talents, and job requirements intersect leaves people, well, unfulfilled, unhappy, frustrated, or fired.

I watched a video today that gave the statistic, "Less than 2 out of every 10 people play to their strengths..." 17% actually. That means that there is a pretty good chance that we, you and I, are not in the 2. I'm not saying I have the answers, and virtually everything I'm writing here is a "stolen" idea. But I am saying, maybe it is time for us to start asking some questions.

John Eldredge talks about this in one of his books, Wild at Heart, I think. He says, in essence, "what the world needs is not one more this (insert job title here) or that (insert job title here) but what the world needs is people who have come alive." (Sorry to spoil the book and/or likely misquote him)

"What the world needs is people who have come alive." I don't know what makes you come alive. Things still catch me by surprise in how alive they make me feel. Again, I'm just saying maybe its time we started to ask ourselves some questions. "God won't hold us accountable for the gifts he never gave us. (PZ)"

Perhaps it's time to stop focusing on the often painful, frustrating process of improving ourselves in the area of our weakness(es) and improve ourselves where we are strong, where our passions lie, in ares where we are good, even great.

'Cause, there is no 'i' in "team" but THERE IS in "win."