I have been involved in sports all of my life. My parents were very active, and from an early age, I had a racquet or stick in my hand. I loved participating in team and individual sports. In elementary school, I captained our girl’s soccer team. In high school, I played on our girl’s field hockey team and tennis team, while also competing within the Okanagan in racquetball and tennis. Some of my fondest memories were competing in ladies doubles tennis tournaments with my mum as a teenager. Nowadays, I am an avid singles and doubles squash player. My sister and I compete in ladies doubles and are known as the “Twisted Sistas”. She and I are also members of our amazing ladies squash team called “Team Fierce”. Our mum would be very proud of us continuing her squash legacy.
Team sports is where I learned how to be part of a team, how to work as a team, and how to deal with a team. You do not always choose who is on your team or who you are going to work with. But in a sport where you shine as an individual because of your work as a team, you quickly learn how to come together to make great things happen. The values, attitudes, and goals of a team impact its performance and success.
It is a widely held belief in the sports world that the team culture can have a big impact on how a team functions and performs. How team members, think, feel, behave and perform are all influenced by the environment in which they practice and compete. For example, have you ever been on a “downer” team that is filled with negativity, unhealthy competition and conflict? It sure doesn’t feel good and it can definitely interfere with performing your best. I believe the same is true in the workplace.
At Bethany, we all have a role in creating an organizational culture that is positive and high performing. A culture is the expression of a team’s values, attitudes, goals and relationships. The culture establishes norms of acceptable behavior on a team, either explicitly or implicitly conveying to members what is allowed and what is not. These norms can dictate to team members how to behave, communicate, cooperate and deal with conflict. Bethany’s values “We Care”, “We Show Respect”, “We Are Responsible” are so important because they guide the decisions and choices we make as a team and as individuals.
I encourage everyone to make team culture a team effort and focus on creating a healthy team culture focused on high levels of performance and success for the team and individuals. Let’s continue to work together as a team and make great things happen for those we serve.
If you have any questions, or would simply like to share your ideas, please contact me directly at lisa.watson@bethanyseniors.com.
Kind regards,
– Lisa
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