What is the Essence of Teamwork?

Soldier serving in war, Navy ships on the water
War era poster

"Teamwork", "being a teamplayer" are commonplace expressions used in everyday life and work, and sports analogies abound in their description, but as anyone knows, real life is more complicated than sports. Combine that with our culture's emphasis on individual achievement and self-reliance, and it's no wonder that there's a lot of confusion, misunderstanding, and ambivalence over what is meant by "teamwork" or "being a team player." Management consultant and executive coaching pioneer Julian Moody and I explore this in the topic "What Does the Overused Term “Teamwork” Really Mean?." This topic is part of our project Dialogues with Julian Moody: On Life, Business, Sustainability, and Other Things.

(Posted 3/30/2013)