Team Work

Last Tuesday as I sat in on an info session for becoming a volunteer at MGH, I was reminded of the importance of teamwork. In the presentation, the speaker went over the requirements needed to become a volunteer, historical facts about MGH, and different positions offered. However, what really caught my attention was when the speaker began telling us how each position demanded that its volunteers become "team players." The way that the speaker put it, in order to give the best health care possible, MGH demands that its entire staff (doctors, nurses, administrators, and volunteers) be willing to give their best effort and work together.

Later that day, I was reminded again of that lesson when I was playing a game of taboo with a group of friends. While there were definitely people on each team that were "the best", none of that mattered, because in the end it was the team with the most points that won, not the most talented individual. After that game I realized that in life it is this principle of team work that matters the most. Often times we focus on becoming the best individuals, but in reality we also need to focus on becoming better team players. Like MGH, most businesses, corporations, and companies consider the element of teamwork to be just as important a factor to success as hiring talented employees.

After that day, I began to appreciate all of the team building exercises that our students do at LTI. Now I started to see how in addition to teaching these students specific aspects of leadership and communication, these exercises also show our students how to work with a diverse group of people, be efficient, and successfully complete a common goal with other people. So while it is LTI's goal that its students will stand out in their communities, I am glad that our goal is also to also have these students become apart of their community as well.

Your Public Relations Chair,

Walter Anazonwu