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On the TUNNEYSIDE of SPORTS
July 1, 2013 #443 Up next...Loyalty!
After further
review...Speaking to a diverse audience recently, I encouraged each to
value teamwork in their families, in their work place and, by extension,
in everything they do. I remember so well what Hall-of-Famer Steve Young,
former quarterback of the San Francisco Forty-Niners, once said, "If
you play alone, you'll be alone".
I describe teamwork by using
the acronym T*E*A*M (Together Everyone Accomplishes More). If you take
your hand and spread out your fingers, each of your fingers possesses the
strength of a single digit. But if you clench them together into a fist,
they become much more powerful. Mohammad Ali never won any fights with
his fingers, but he sure did with his fists. The power of a T*E*A*M is
discovered when everyone "clenches" together.
Loyalty to that T*E*A*M is
what keeps it unified. Loyalty, a noun, is defined as "something to
which one is bound by a pledge or duty". Google explains it as
"A feeling or attitude of devoted attachment and affection".
The teams I watched over the years of my career as an official met both
these descriptions; but what is the source of that "devoted
attachment"?
It's easy to cite several
examples of pro athletes who play for their name on the back of their
jersey rather than the logo on their helmet". Loyalty, as with
confidence, starts with reminding yourself to keep the commitments you
make to yourself. If you can't do that, I believe you'll find it
difficult to keep commitments you make to your T*E*A*M. No one wants to
take way your individuality; it just means using your talents within the
framework of your team. Team- building comes before teamwork.
Loyalty becomes visible when
you are willing to admit your mistake rather than alibiing your way out
of it. Loyalty is strengthened when you step-up to take responsibility
for your actions. There is no better place to learn teamwork than in
sports, or a club, or being in the band or choir. Loyalty learned in
these venues will serve you well in your family, in school, in business,
or in any area involving relationships
The late Jim Murray, Pulitzer
Prize-winning sportswriter, said it best when describing the qualities of
a person he admired: "He makes the word loyalty a verb not a
noun".
Will you make loyalty a verb
in your everyday relationships?
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