Teamwork

[pegged]

I need tips on teamwork, honestly. I just completed my third weekend of BMQ and I got my eval or whatever. The MCpl said my drill could be better but I‘m putting my full drive into it. What is unacceptable is my attitude and my teamwork. I responded saying how I was keeping a positive attitude and enjoying BMQ. The MCpl responded saying that was individual thinking and I need to stop doing that.

Now that I look at it, I do realize that I‘ve been thinking individually, without knowing it.
I usually keep to myself, have for the last 5 years, but I can work with people fine. I played hockey (goalie), was in cadets, cubs/scouts..you‘d think I know what teamwork is. I thought I did. I see though that by being alone, and being confident in myself, having few friends has made me more of an individual in the civy world.

I figured the best people to come to would be you guys since you‘re CF members, not some civy that doesn‘t understand the amount of teamwork required on the BMQ course.

I guess this post shows how much I‘m worrying about doing MY best on BMQ, but it just hit me that all this time I‘ve spent in civy life focused on myself has given me no aspect of teamwork.

Basically can you guys give me some advice on how to improve? I really am not sure what to do. The MCpl‘s said to volunteer more, and speak out more too. I do help people on their kit, and when they are not doing well during PT in the morning I motivate them.

I‘m glad I read the eval even though they told me I didn‘t have to.
Be tough on me if you want to.
Thanks.

 

[Superman]

I used to be the same... I havent started BMQ yet though, that comes this summer.. Although I have been in my unit for quite a while now.. I now find it easy to be part of the team because I just love being with all the men.. The companionship I experiance already is like nothing ive ever seen before. The most teamwork building so far for me happens in the mess.. At first I was to scared to go in but now its a common thing to see me drinking with the guys intill way into the night.. It builds friendship and teamwork.. Now when we are on excersizes I can be part of the team because I really want to be.. Im part of the guys... What im trying to get at is teamwork cant be somthing your just told to do.. It really needs to come from the heart.. If your out there and you really want to help everyone out and get the end result I have no doubt that you will be benifiting the team and yourself..

 

[spacelord]

just remember the order for anything is:
1) Mission
2) Team
3) self

 

[Gibson]

Think about all the stuff you have learned through cadets, or you have taken upon yourself to pick up. Then teach all that to coursemates. If someone somewhere gave you a tip to make your beret look better or something like that then go ahead and share that with the rest of you section.

Try to impress your instuctors by bringing peers to your level before worrying about what they think of you. If a coursemate cannot do something you can it should not be because he doesn‘t know or was not motivated.

 

[Engineer Corporal]

It‘s "Mission before Self".

 

[bossi]

I‘m in a ruminating mood today ...

First of all - what is the point of teamwork?
To score points? To win, or to have fun? To get "plays well in the sandbox" on your report card ... ?

In the Army teamwork can become so important it may save, or cost you your life ...
(and so, the answer is "Teamwork is what‘s going to save lives.")

Don‘t believe me? Okay. Have a nice day.
But, you might want to reconsider your choice of uniform ...

Now - before anybody jumps all over me for preaching ... I‘m not. I‘m just voicing my personal opinion (and, oh - by the way - I coached professional hockey once upon a time ... so I‘m not talking about theoretical teamwork, okay?)

The essence of teamwork is to treat your team-mates the way you want to be treated - eventually, if everybody does it, you all end up respecting and trusting each other - and, as a team, nobody will be able to beat you ...

Even if you lose, you‘ll all go down together, fighting as a team ... as opposed to fighting with each other ...
Your team-mates will go to heck and back before they‘d let you down, because they know you‘d do the same for them ...

And, as I said - I‘m ruminating - I heard a news item on the radio about some posthumous honours this year - a farm worker collapsed in the bottom of a tank, and his friends died trying to save him.
"Greater love hath no man than to lay down his life for another" - that‘s the ultimate in teamwork (and, no - I‘m not preaching - it‘s just a quotation from a very famous book, okay?)

And, truly understanding teamwork won‘t happen overnight - one needs to study, to learn, to practice, to train, to improve ...

For homework, feel free to read a few of these stories:

Gary George Ferrier, M.B. (posthumous), Durham, Ont.
Erich Schulz, M.B. (posthumous), Ayton, Ont.
Medal of Bravery

On August 15, 2000, Erich Schulz died while trying to assist Gary George Ferrier, who also lost his life, in an attempt to rescue a co-worker from the bottom of a liquid manure spreader tank, on a farm near Drayton, Ontario. Alerted that a colleague had collapsed after going down into the faulty tank, Mr. Ferrier ran to his rescue. Although fully aware that the gases contained in the confined area presented a grave risk to his own life, he climbed down to the bottom of the 18,000-litre metal cylinder but was, himself, soon overcome by the toxic fumes. When Mr. Ferrier failed to reappear, Mr. Schulz jumped into the tank with a rope in an attempt to save him, but he too succumbed to the poisonous gas. Regrettably, efforts to revive them were unsuccessful.

Douglas Fader, C.V.
Ken Rutland, S.C.
Several more examples of team players

 

[Slim]

" 10 men working as a team on the battlefield can defeat 100 who are not."

Sun-Tsu (I think)

Never a more relevant phrase to your question was ever spoken.

Slim

 

[muskrat89]

and, oh - by the way - I coached professional hockey once upon a time

The Phoenix Coyotes are winless in about 15 games. I can put you up at my house, until you find a place of your own....

 

[tobert16]

A good excersize in teamwork is inspections, you dont think they are just for ****s an giggles right? Delegate tasks to everyone, have one guy do the straps on the webbing, one guy the straps on the rucks, one guy place all the boots and shoes at the ends of the bed.. etc etc. If you delegate tasks like this, everyones bunk looks the same and you learn a little about working as a team.

[moderator edit: Profanity removed. Please keep your language acceptable for public consumption and for young, impressionable readers.]

 

[Thompson_JM]

Tuna has a good point.. another important part of team work is that when you guys are all doubletiming it in the feild and you see buddy is taking a little longer with something, as soon as youre good to go, you imediatley go help him. continue process..

just one thing i found helpful.

 

[Jarnhamar]

Tuna i gotta disagree with ya. I think each soldier has to be able to take care of himself first and foremost. While everyone having a specific task ie one guy does boots one guy cleans one guy does snail roles ( suggested this on my ql3) works int he short run it doesn‘t help in the end. Each soldier has to be proficient at doing all the tasks so if they are on their own they wont be screwed. It‘s fine to put your arm around someone and help them along but i don‘t think you should have to carry someone.

 

[tobert16]

I‘m not saying that you have to carry anyone per say, I‘m just saying that the delegation of tasks ensures that everything is the same. Also, it gets done faster. In the field its different, but in garrison like these bmq guys are, this is what will work the best.

 

[Franko]

Pte O‘Shea....

You and your course troops will figure it out.

Paitience. Work as a team and everything will fall in place.

You think it‘s bad now? Wait until your CLC!

Regards