The sun was shining brightly and the air warm and inviting as we joined the crowd of spectators for the Ceremonial Start of Iditarod 2014. Ironically, snow had been transported in the evening prior to the start, marginally covering the race track for the mushers. Team after team mushed past as we cheered them on. Hopefulness and anticipation flooded both the spectators and participants. They were off to a destination!
We were thinking this week about the nature of teamwork. Some people feel a dogsled team is a great analogy. Others think not. We think it all depends on the type of team is required for the specific task and end goal.
Certainly there is a vertical or hierarchical arrangement to dogsled teams. The leader is...well, the leader. However, it is also true that the leader cannot pull the sled from Anchorage (or Willow) to Nome. The entire team is needed for the task to be completed. The lead dog is actually NOT the leader, because that part of the team is largely filled by the musher. It is the musher that reads the trail, chooses course corrections, and is ultimately responsible for the well-being of the rest of the "team." The musher relies heavily on the lead dog or dogs, and they, in turn, rely on the strength and responsibilities of those dogs pulling behind them.
I will refrain from drawing the analogy to a close- that is something that each ready can probably do adequately. Multiple applications and conclusions could be made. This is the age, the era, of collaboration. We have learned to love the accomplishments that are achieved through teams, and have recognized that even a solo sport star has a team of individuals helping them accomplish their goal. So, the next sporting event you watch, you will want to analyze the type of team, and how it might apply to teamwork in your own lives.
Will your team reach Nome?
