Do It Together

A group dance competition was going to be held in Jaya's school. She wanted to participate in it. So, she asked her classmates-Deepti, Nadia, and Jaspreet to form a dance group with her.

Jaya had been training in Indian classical dance for quite some time and felt confident about her performance. Although the others were well-versed with dance, they were not trained like Jaya was.

The dance competition was due in another two weeks. Deepti, Nadia, and Jaspreet worked very hard to learn the steps but lately, Jaya had begun to be gruff during the rehearsals. She used to frequently lose patience and snap at others. Jaya started to avoid her group members and practice on her own. Whenever the others approached her for help, she would brush them off. She wanted to prove that she was better than the others.

The day of the competition finally arrived. There were several groups that had participated. Nadia felt a bit worried when she saw how good the other groups were. Jaspreet said, 'Don't worry. We will give it our best shot. We have practiced hard. Let's have fun while we are dancing and hope for the best." All this while Jaya thought to herself, 'I wish I could have danced alone. I do not want to be a part of this group. They cannot dance as well as me.' Soon it was their turn. They went up to the stage and started dancing. After the performance, everyone started cheering for them. Later that day, the groups which had qualified for the next round were announced. Jaya and her group nervously waited to hear the results. They were elated when they heard their names. However, one of the judges had a few comments. She said, "Your team danced well. All of you had worked hard but there was an obvious lack of teamwork. None of you danced in synchronization. If you don't cooperate and work in tandem, your team may not qualify for the final round."

Jaya was surprised at the feedback from the judge. She realized that her eagerness to show off her skills could cost the team dearly. She felt ashamed of her selfishness and decided to cooperate more with her team.

During the next round of rehearsals, Deepti, Nadia, and Jaspreet were pleasantly surprised to see Jaya working hard to synchronize the dance steps of the group. All of them worked together.

Their teamwork was clearly visible in the next round of the competition. Their dance performance was perfectly coordinated. Everyone in the audience was mesmerized by their performance.

When the results were declared, Jaya and her group had won the first prize. The four girls were thrilled beyond words. They realized that separately all of them were good but together they were capable of winning competitions. They decided to participate in more such competitions in the future.

In every team, all members have their own thoughts, goals, and way of working. If all members work independently, it will lead to chaos and the goal will not be achieved. Thus, it is essential that we know how to function in a team.

Some important points we must know are:

Shared vision: The focus of the team members should solely be on the team goals. They should also be committed enough to leave their ego aside and focus on achieving the goal.

Effective communication: Team members should communicate with each other so that everyone understands their roles and responsibilities.

Trust and respect: Team members must trust and respect each other.

Delegation of work: Tasks should be delegated according to the skillset of members.

Conflict resolution: Conflicts are bound to arise while working in a team. Open communication channels and shared vision will ensure that members resolve their issues amicably.

Strong leadership: The mark of a good team is the presence of a strong leader who keeps the members together and urges them to move ahead.