I often think about minister and author Vance Havner’s observation that, “Snowflakes are frail, but if enough of them stick together, they can stop traffic." Living in the Midwest, this observation about snowflakes contains realistic significance.

The story is told of an aging Greek father who was sure he had a short time to live. It was important to him that his sons carry on their lives within the teachings he had tried to instill. The Greek father called his sons together and gave each of them a stick saying: "Break it." From the youngest to the oldest, each son easily broke their stick in half.

The father then took the 14 pieces, gave the bundle to his youngest son and said, "Break it." He could not. Then the second son was asked to do the same. He could not break the bundle of 14 sticks. Nor could any of the rest of the sons.

Reflecting on his sons’ experiences, the wise father advised, "Always remember, alone you are weak, together you are strong."

Rowing Together

Author and teamwork expert Patrick Lencioni said: "If you could get all the people in an organization rowing in the same direction, you could dominate any industry in any market, against any competition, at any time."

Imagine the incredible force that is created if everyone on your team understands the "why" of what they do. Single-mindedness generates compounded energy far beyond what the normal team will experience.

Teams committed to working together toward a common purpose and tapping the individual talents of their teammates create a strong, unbreakable, unstoppable bond. The best part is the combined strength of any team brings increased strength to each individual effort.

You've heard sportscasters refer to outstanding players as being in the "zone."

When a team performs flawlessly, announcers may refer to them as being in a "league of their own." Talented players, all tapping their strengths and investing their energies in a common purpose combine to produce impressive results.

This is good stuff and worth any leader's windshield time to determine how they can get their team united with each member headed in the same direction and willing to invest everything they have for the benefit of the team.

That's powerful!

Basketball Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson is so right: "The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of the member is the team."

Questions to Ponder:

What’s our common purpose? Are we all headed in the same direction?

What percentage of our team know, understand, and are passionate about our purpose?

Are people working in their “zone?”