Teamwork Student Success & Student Leadership Series 5

Jonathan Medina -"You can only get so far alone. The right Teammates will take you to the top and keep you at the top."

Michael Jordan, "Talent wins games, but TEAMWORK and intelligence wins championships."

 8 TEAMMATES WE NEED TO CONSTANTLY ENLIST

1. Experienced
2. Excited
3. Energized
4. Engaged
5. Encourager
6. Eager
7. Executer
8. Empathetic

 8 Teammates you need to find, recruit, add, enlist!

1. EXPERIENCED

Student Leaders need to find mentors. We all do even if you are not a "Student Leader". For overall student success we need to find some people who have had the experience. Someone else experience can save you from making a mistake. Someone else experience can help you take key steps you may not have thought about. Someone with experience can help you meet the people (Connections) that will help you with a goal. 

At a summer leadership camp I attended going into my senior year I met several students with the same goals I had. Some students shared experiences on how they had great success on AP exams and little tricks they used. Some shared how they studied for the SAT to get perfect scores. At the same camp we were mentored by Admissions officers from some of the top universities and they shared with us how to have the perfect interview. They told us mistakes to avoid on our applications. The mentors showed us how to write a personal statement that got us accepted to the elite universities. The mentors showed us how to apply to scholarships and win so we could attend the university for FREE. 

2. Excited

Excited to join in friend. This friend can help you feel motivated on the days that you do not feel motivated. This friend can help you stay up all night on an important project when you would give up before you finish. The excited friend can help you join that club you feel nervous about joining alone. This friend may run for an officer position in the club so that you do not have to do it alone. They may just support you as a sidekick for those times when you really just need that extra friend. Key thing they may say is "Join me" or "I'll join you". 

3. Energized

Energized friends generate energy on their own. Sometimes you find a friend that lacks energy and they suck all your energy away. The energized friend does the opposite. They give you energy. They can come in to a group and just from them being there everyone will absorb some energy. This is also something you can learn from your friends that give the energy. When you meet them it is always like you are meeting your best friend. They have a smile and body language that just gives you energy. One of the hardest parts about being a leader is trying to give others energy. Add friends that bring energy and you won't have to energize them and they can help you energize others. 

4. Engaged

Engaged friends keep you on task. Engaged friends make you feel that they are on they team. Engaged friends make you feel like they are actively helping. Non engaged friends are quickly distracted and quick to give up on a project. Every minute that someone is engaged they are more and more bought into the goal. As a student leader you have to keep everyone engaged, but with every engaged person it tends to be easier. When most of the group is engaged it will help create a momentum of engagement. 

5. Encouraging

Encouraging friends help you to overcome the mistakes and obstacles ahead of you. Similar to an engaged friend, but always positive. An encouraging friend will help you when you are feeling down. Encouraging friends and teammates provide that little boost of moral. Encouraging friends will make the team feel like one happy unit. I was watching a show called cheer on Netflix and one of the main characters Jerry was a complete encourager. Others described his MAT TALK's effect as "makes you want to just do better" and the coach said "instantly puts on smile on my face when I can hear...he's so fun to watch"

 6. Eager

Eager friends want to be a part of the mission. Eager friends want to compete and win. Eager friends want to put in the extra effort required. Eager friends don't require extra energy to get them on board with a project because they are already eager to be involved. Sometimes the hardest part about being a leader is trying to get someone to who is not eager to get involved. Eager people jump right in without much recruiting. They jump in and volunteer on projects.  

7. Executer

Executer makes finishing a project a priority. Executer will help to keep the group focused on the important things for the win. Many of the other characteristics listed above are very positive, but an executer can be a little ruthless. Not everyone will like executers but they do get results. They will not have a problem making a decision. They don't have to be the leader but often can take the lead. They just want to win. As the great thinker DJ Khaled says, "All I do is WIN." 

8. Empathetic

Empathetic friends make sure that everyone is staying happy and doesn't get their feelings hurt. Especially if you are the one being the executer you want to have people like this around you. This person may not be empathetic towards the members in the group but they may be empathetic towards a cause. I met a girl at one school who was so empathetic towards the students that had been bullied that she created an club towards helping students who had been bullied. They even raised money to bring me in to do a school assembly and some special leadership training for the club she had started.