John Maxwell once said, “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.”
It’s one of those power of teamwork quotes that sounds like it belongs on a leadership poster – right next to a bald eagle and a sunrise, probably hanging in the breakroom since 2012. But that doesn’t make it any less true. The real power of teamwork isn’t found in grand speeches or matching T-shirts. It’s found in what we might call ordinary faithfulness. It’s found in your quiet consistency, the way you keep showing up, offering care and compassion, even on the hardest days.
Most of us don’t walk around thinking we’re the glue holding anything together. We’re just trying to finish charting before the coffee goes flat. But here’s the thing: teams don’t need superheroes. They need people who care. People who keep showing up. People who know a patient’s favorite snack, or how to defuse a tense room with a perfectly timed one-liner. That’s you. You might not think it’s a big deal, but someone else does.
Your steadiness, your effort, your extra kindness on a hard day, it counts. You matter, because when you’re part of the team, the whole team is stronger. That’s the give-and-take of a team on mission together. We lift each other up. We learn from one another’s strengths. We laugh together, cry sometimes too, and offer each other a lifeline when the road dips low.
The Power of Teamwork Considerations:
- What’s something small I do that actually makes a big difference for the team?
- Who on my team needs to hear that they matter right now?
- How can I help create a culture where showing up, listening, and helping out are seen as wins?
So the next time you’re sipping lukewarm coffee, wondering if what you’re doing really matters, remember: The strength of the team is each individual member. And the strength of each member is the team. And that’s the power of teamwork.
That includes you. Not because you’re doing cartwheels in the hallway or leading every shift — but because you keep showing up. And in a world where that’s rarer than it should be, your steady presence might just be the strongest thing of all.
May grace and peace meet you at every turn and angle,
Chaplain Tobby E. Smith, Ph.D., ThM., M.Div
