Olympic Size Disappointment - Are any of us Really Surprised?

In a nation full of superstars one has to wonderof us often leads us to ignore the team and
why we fail so often as a team. The Olympicconcentrate on the individual. The measure of
Team did not fail because of the number of goldsuccess becomes the success of the individual
medals won or lost. The Olympic Team failedrather than the success of the team.Think about
because they were anything but a team.Thehow much a team can accomplish when the
amazing athletes that represented the Unitednatural competitiveness in all of us leads us to not
States in the Olympic Games should be bothcompete with our colleagues and team mates,
honored and respected. These same Olympians,but compete with other teams, obstacles or
however, should remind us about how wetasks.When we watch a group of small children
succeed or fail as a team.The greatest images ofplaying together or working together on a project
any team, whether it be an Olympic Team or anylike building a snowman or a clubhouse we can
sports team is not them holding a medal, a trophylearn a lot from them. When they are working
or some other symbol of their accomplishment.together towards a common goal with no
The greatest images are the camaraderie, thethoughts of "I" but just of working together as a
banning together, the images that exemplify andteam, it is amazing what this group can
glorify what it means to be a team.In a nation fullaccomplish.Unfortunately, if you take that same
of some of the most talented men and women ingroup of children and assemble them 20 years
every field it is somewhat disconcerting that welater as adults, that same team would likely be
do not accomplish more in our individualunable to agree on how to make a snowball
professions. With so much talent the possibilitiesrather than a snowman.When we learn as a
for success are nearly boundless.Perhaps it is theculture to value teamwork and the success of a
talent itself that is our biggest obstacle as soteam there is no telling what our teams in the
many people try to be everything rather thanbusiness world, medical world and sports world will
something. Rather than being a cog in a highlyaccomplish. When we value team building above
successful wheel, they try to be the wheel.Even instar building we may start to truly see the
a profession as seemingly simple as websiteamazing things we can accomplish.The Olympic
designing and marketing, we see this same flawTeam did not fail us, we failed the Olympic Team
time and time again. Rather than building a teamjust as we fail team after team by not valuing
of talented people, each a superstar in his or herteam accomplishments as highly as we value
own area of expertise, every superstar tries toindividual accomplishments.In a Nation of the most
do it all and in the end accomplishes nothing.Teamtalented men and women in every field of
building is probably the most important need inbusiness, sport and entertainment it is only a
any and every business, yet team building is onematter of time before this talent bans together
of the most overlooked, underfunded,and forms teams that will go down in history for
undervalued resources.The most successfulaccomplishing more than any individual can ever
companies understand the importance of teamhope to accomplish and then as a nation we will
building. A successful team starts with assemblingfinally understand the importance of team
the most talented staff and then working withbuilding.David Casey, SetSitesHigh ( works on a
that staff to foster a team atmosphere and ateam of website designers, developers,
team mentality where the entire team shares inmarketers and SEO experts that emphasize the
success and works together to overcometeam approach to web design and development.
disappointment.The natural competitiveness in all