Power Of A Positive Team

by Lee Gray, Epsilon Chi (Elon U), International Vice President

Alpha Omicron Pi’s Executive Board is comprised of nine women from different backgrounds living in eight different states and three time zones. There is time and distance between us physically, but we are still a team. One of the goals of your Executive Board is to continuously learn and develop ourselves so we can serve the organization as best as we possibly can. One practical way we work towards that goal is with a reading list.

The first book on our list was “Power of a Positive Team” by Jon Gordon. The essence of the book is the sharing of strategies to transform a group of individuals into a united, positive and powerful team. Jon does a great job of illustrating his points with compelling interviews, research and stories from a wide variety of groups from education, sports, military and business. There is so much to learn or re-learn from this book.

This book is designed to be read as a group. It is short and powerful with lots of practical lessons on how to become the team that succeeds. You can take the lessons and apply them to all manner of teams in our collegiate chapters, alumnae chapters, networks and in our personal and professional lives. With just nine short chapters, the book still covers all the essential elements of building a team as “we are better together, and together we accomplish great things.”

The Chapters include:

1. The Power of Positive (A Competitive Advantage)
2. Positive Teams Create Positive Cultures (Culture beats Strategy)
3. Positive Teams Work Together toward a Shared Vision with a Greater Purpose (Make Sure Everyone is on the Bus)
4. Positive Teams Work Together with Optimism, Positivity and Belief (Obstacles are No Match for a Team with Faith, Love & Hope)
5. Positive Teams Transform and Remove Negativity (No Energy Vampires Allowed!)
6. Positive Teams Communicate and Connect (Make Time to Build Great Relationships)
7. Positive Teams Commit and Care (We Before Me)
8. Positive Teams Are Always Striving to Get Better (Believe the Best is Yet to Come)
9. We Are Better Together (Leave a Legacy)

Sisters, as most of us know life is a marathon, not a sprint. Great teams, like great leaders are not “born” they are made. So, take the time to learn and grow into a “Great Team.”