He was mad! As I sat in the darkened theater sipping my Coke and eating my buttered popcorn, I felt excitement flow through me as I awaited the showing of the 20th Century Fox film “Drumline.” I nod and let myself be carried away by the sounds, the movements and the competition in the film. I enjoyed a stress-free and entertaining afternoon watching Nick Cannon, Orlando Jones, Leonard Roberts, Zoe Saldana, Jason Weaver and J. Anthony Brown demonstrate what life is like as a child “marching to the beat of his own drum” in the form of . in an environment that required her to keep pace with his team.
It took Nick Cannon a moment to connect with the “one band, one sound” philosophy of his marching band. In fact, he thought his character had been cut from the marching band before realizing that the essence of the “one band, one sound” philosophy was really about teamwork.
I really liked that movie! It was a feel-good movie that not only entertained, but also taught great lessons. I walked away from “Drumline” internalizing the “one band, one sound” philosophy. It had such an impact on me that I journaled it in 2005 and now focus my article on it today.
“One Band, One Sound” was a clever way to show us all the importance and benefits of teamwork. It can be applied to each and every one of the situations in which teamwork is essential in our lives.
“One Band, One Sound” reminds us that teamwork is the concept of people working together cooperatively to achieve a desired goal.
“One Band, One Sound” illuminates the importance of the following characteristics that must be present for teamwork to work successfully, such as:
1) Vision
2) Communication skills
3) Listening skills
4) Initiative
5) Support
6) Focus
7) Confidence
8) Cooperation
9) Respect
It takes vision to move our teams from where they are to where we want them to be. Understanding the vision of our team, company or project helps us to get going and complete our necessary tasks to manifest our dreams into reality.
Communication skills allow our teams to convey information that is easily received and understood. Sharing ideas, giving opinions and giving feedback gives us the opportunity to express our message so that our teammates clearly receive it.
Listening skills are important because they allow us to show a genuine interest in what is being communicated. Whether we’re informing, updating, instructing, demonstrating, or acknowledging, listening skills actively engage us in our teams, which in turn helps us stay more connected to the team’s vision.
Initiative is the energy that moves our teams forward and allows the strengths and abilities of individual team members to become apparent to the team as a whole. Support provides the assistance our team members provide to each other that helps build bonds within our teams. Focus is necessary to optimize the energy and effort of team members towards the ultimate vision of our team, project, or company.
Trust helps team members break free from inhibitions and openly communicate with each other. It is the motivation behind teams moving forward in unison. Collaboration connects our team members with each other for a common goal. When trust and vision are present, collaboration brings us together to produce positive results for the team.
Respect carries our teams through challenges and conflicts. It gives us “objective and unbiased consideration for the rights, values, beliefs and property” of our team members. It doesn’t matter if there are personality conflicts or time challenges, mutual respect and our team’s goal helps us to be “one band, one sound”.
Susan M. Heathfield, human resources author for About.com says that “teamwork is something you do every day.”
I agree. What we need to consider is that not only the above characteristics are necessary for effective teamwork and we don’t just do teamwork every day; but we must remember to maintain the “one band, one sound” philosophy by:
o Provide ongoing training to teach our teams systematic methods to expend energy on a project, task or duty;
o Holding regular team meetings to review the progress of our projects;
o Host fun events in addition to business meetings as a way to promote positive connections between our team members; Y
o Celebrate the success of our teams in public, for others to know and see.
It is not easy to work with people who are different from you, especially when there are personality conflicts. As shown in the movie “Drumline,” personalities can play a role in keeping team members apart. However, those differences can also serve as the hidden power for effective teamwork.
Just keep in mind that while personalities may clash and differences may exist, as long as vision, communication skills, listening skills, initiative, support, focus, trust, collaboration, and respect are present , the team members will become “one band, one sound”.